Loginquitas
by jemlou
Summary: "A snarl. A hand. A rotting face. Sophia screamed. She rolled away from the clawing monster and did the only thing she knew to do. She ran." What if Sophia was found by a stranger, another survivor? Eventual Daryl/OC
1. Prologue

_Loginquitas_

_Prologue_

I grew up with the phrase '_once upon a time' _starting my bedtime stories, which I'm sure was the same for many others. It started countless possibilities of every story imaginable; some filled with love, some filled with adventure, some filled with a different reality than our own that belonged to the land of the dream world. By starting the story with '_once upon a time', _the phrase _'and they all lived happily ever after' _inevitably ended these twist-filled plots of fairy tales and dreamers. These two simple phrases gave me the sense of hope of my upending future; perhaps, one day, I'll grow up to live a life of fantasy and happiness? These two simple phrases gave me the assurance that I was going to live _happily ever after _too.

Though what these two simple phrases didn't prepare me for was the ambiguity of reality and how the world I know of can change within the shortest spaces of times, to something in nightmares.

I never could have imagined what was left of the world now, back then. Back in what seemed like a different time now, the simple things like traffic and work schedules were the biggest stresses in life. Though now it was merely _survival. _

We had been stripped down to mere beings, whose only duty now was to survive. Fighting to stay alive was a daily duty and something that had to be learned quick. There was no time for the weak and only time for those who didn't hold onto reality too strongly. Times for hopes and dreams were gone now and all that was left was the bitterness and raw inevitability that was the extinction of the human race.

There was no '_happily ever afters' _any more and we just had to deal with it.

* * *

_Momma._

Being away from her mother had always scared Sophia, and as the hordes of walkers passed by them on that graveyard of a highway, Sophia couldn't remember a time when she wanted her mother to hold her as much as then. She could _see _her. Merely a few cars away, tucked away with Mrs Grimes. Carl lay under a car nearby, though Sophia felt no comfort in his closer presence. She wanted to hide _with _them. She wanted the monsters to _go away_.

The numbers appeared to lessen and the pairs of feet that passed by reduced until nothing came. _Silence. _The groaning and moaning from the walkers seemed to die away as they staggered along, unbeknown of the missed opportunity to feed.

That was it, Sophia could crawl out now and be with her mother again. They were safe and all she wanted to do was hold her mother and never let her go. So, impatient to get to her, Sophia stuck her head out from under the safety of the car; checking it was clear and ready to run into her mother's awaiting arms.

Though it was her impatience that cost her.

A snarl. A hand. A rotting face. _Sophia screamed. _

She rolled away from the clawing monster and did the only thing she knew to do. She _ran. _Into the forest and away from the following walker. Away from the highway. Away from Carl and the others. Away from her _mother._

* * *

There was a blunt _crack _as the bat connected with the side of the _thing's _head. Another sound followed; the dull _thud_ as it dropped to the floor. With a strangled cry, I brought the club down a few more times onto it's head to make sure it was truly dead, the sounds of it's skull crunching filling my ears. All that was left when I was done was a mess of skull, blood and brain - that was satisfying as I knew it wouldn't be getting up to try rip me to shreds any time soon.

A timid gasp brought my gaze away from the body of the _creature _and towards what it was previously just chasing.

_A little girl. _No more than twelve years of age and who held a terrified expression on her innocent pale face. Her eyes stared up at me with look I couldn't quite place and I watched as her fingers curled furiously around the rag doll she clutched close to her, as if it would protect her from the nightmares of this world.

I swallowed down hard and attempted to hide my bloodied weapon out of view, though kept it still in hand just in case. Raising my free hand to show her I meant no harm, I attempted a smile.

"It's alright." I said, softly. My voice made her flinch, so I paused for a moment for her. "I won't hurt you." She didn't say anything, just stared up at me with big doe eyes. "I'm Ruby. What's your name, sweetie?" The little girl's face seemed to soften slightly and her posture seemed to relax an inch. Though her fingers still held the rag doll tightly. I waited patiently for my answer and when she answered, I had to listen carefully as her voice was so quiet and timid;

"Sophia."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Thought I'd try my hand at having a go at writing for this fandom. I'm a big fan of the show and wish season 3 would just hurry up already! I miss watching it on Friday nights, though I must say the last episode was a killer, one of my favourites! Can't wait for the second season to come out on DVD so I can relive it all again. Though, for now, this fandom will take up most of my time. _

_This chapter is short, probably not very interesting, though it's only the prologue. This is set sometime after Sophia disappears (obviously) and for the purpose of this story, I'm going to say that she came across some more walkers after Rick left her and she ran further into the forest, away from the highway. This story is compliment up to 2.01, though from then on I suppose it's slightly AU, I may try to keep to some of the show's storylines. Hopefully my OC isn't too rubbish. I know some people may be sick of OCs and at first, I didn't automatically want to add an OC into the show, the characters are far too fantastic on their own! But hey, hopefully you'll like her! _

_Please leave a comment, I'd love to know what you think of this so far (I know this chapter is quite short, but still...)_


	2. Chapter One

_Chapter One_

Toby was a light coated German Shepherd, with loyalty that outmatched any human I had ever known. After being thrust into this new world, and watching everything I used to know and love fall apart (or _ripped _apart) in front of me, Toby remained always by my side, his obedience never wavering. It was as if he knew about the reality of the world around him, he did _not _run, he did _not _bark and if I told him to hide, he would. His obedience was something else and I felt safer with him around. When I encountered my first of the dead, it was Toby who protected me before I was bitten and condemned to death. It was Toby who stood alert constantly and was on hand if I needed. It was Toby's determination and loyalty that kept me strong when I felt like giving it all up. He was a twenty ninth birthday present, from my then boyfriend, a measly little puppy, scrawny even, who I softened to at first sight. Now at the age of four, he appeared to be in his prime and adapted quickly to this new nightmare of a world. I envied him in that sense, though felt lucky that he was my loyal companion.

She was reluctant at first, too scared to even move, though soon I convinced Sophia that we needed to get to somewhere safe. Toby waited patiently whilst I reassured the girl I would look after her and attempted to tug her gently to follow me. She finally clasped her fingers around mine though and I let Toby lead the way as the three of us began to move through the cluster of trees.

A sudden rush came over me as we ran, confused at the odd turn my situation had taken me.

Just this morning I was sat by a creek, attempting to wash my bat from all the blood and dirt stains on it, Toby by my side and ever vigilant. Between us, weapon-wise, we had a medium sized hunting knife, a hand gun with a few rounds of ammo, the stained and battered baseball bat and Toby's leisurely sharp claws and teeth. I remembered glancing down at the hand gun, with enough shots to put a bullet in both my own and Toby's heads (I couldn't leave him alone in what the world has become), and thinking that the thought seemed quite inviting.

And now, a small and clammy hand sat in mine as we sped to safety and it suddenly just hit me that now surviving wasn't the only thing I was doing. _Protecting _this little girl had now slipped into my duties and I knew then I couldn't abandon or let her down. She was a mere stranger to me, but seeing the look of fear and complete terror in her eyes had defied which way this path would take me now.

The grouping of the trees began to lesson and lesson until we came out into a clearing. I paused in my tracks, pulling Sophia to a stand still beside me, and gazed up at the large, run down house that we set in the middle of the isolated clearing. Toby was a bit ahead, though had stopped after realising that we weren't following. He now glanced back at us, his ears cocked up and waiting for an order.

With a sigh, I glanced down at my new companion.

"You stay behind me." I told her firmly. She nodded, tearfully.

I scoped the house with my handgun, my bat shoved carefully into my backpack. Toby ran aimlessly through room after room, and I knew it was his own way of scoping so I let him be. The presence of Sophia nagged at me as we searched the house for any unwanted guests. She had curled her hand into the back of my t-shirt tightly and I heard her breathing quietly, too afraid to make a louder sound.

It surprised me I hadn't come across this house before. In all the time I had spent in these woods, I had never once passed this building. I was used to sleeping rough now, up in trees, under the cover of bushes.

Not having a mirror of any description, I could only imagine how I looked to Sophia. I hadn't bathed properly in weeks, only taking brief dips in any bade of water we came across; clothes on, no soap. The smell was probably horrific and I knew the sight of me was probably no better. My auburn locks were constantly screwed up in a tight knot on the top of my head, away from eyes and leaving me with no obstruction of sight. I cut my fringe regularly as to keep my vision even more clear, though I was no hairdresser so it was probably off cue. The clothes I wore were dirtied up from either dirt or blood, some stains I couldn't even tell the difference. Though I only had a restricted change of clothing. I could imagine that I could pass for one of the dead myself, the state I looked.

After having checked the house thrice and gaining my approval, I shut and attempted to lock any door in and out of the house then set camp in one of the downstairs rooms.

I dumped my rucksack on the sturdy looking kitchen table with an exhausted sigh. Toby lay, content, by the door, his head rested on his paws. I smiled at the sight and for a moment forgot about our third companion. It was only when she made a sound that sounded something like a snivel, that she caught my attention. I looked towards Sophia and sure enough, a tears ran down her cheek.

"Hey, don't cry." I urged, kneeling down in front of her. "No one is going to hurt you anymore." She didn't say anything, only clutched the rag doll tighter to herself. I examined her quickly.

She looked more exhausted than I felt. Her skin was a sickly pale colour and I could only gather that was from the fear of being chased by those things. I noticed her fingers tremble and her bottom lip wobble as she tried to contain herself from crying. Having never had children of my own, I was unsure how to go about a crying child. My initial fear was that she would make too much noise and attract unwanted visitors, though I shunned that thought away, thinking of myself as selfish.

I stood up and pulled out one of only two blankets I owned. Placing it down on the floor in the corner of the room, I pulled my bag down with me and sat down on it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia watching me with interpretation and I met her gaze with a smile. Timidly, she joined me on the blanket, curly up in the corner.

After rooting through my bag, I successfully found a chocolate bar and held it out to her. She eyed it carefully.

"I couldn't tell you enough how much I _love _chocolate." I began. "Can't get enough of it. My papa used to tell me that if I ate too much I'd get too big and wouldn't be able to fit through the front door." A soft giggle immerged from the girl and I gathered my pointless story was working somehow. "Didn't stop me though." After that, slender fingers reached out before grasping the bar and taking it from me. I watched as she slowly undid the wrapper and took a bite. She chewed slowly too and met my gaze. I gave her an approving nod before rummaging back through my back to find another chocolate bar for myself to eat.

We ate in silence and I stared across the room at Toby, who stared back with a blank expression. _Didn't really expect anything else though did I? _

"His name is Toby." I stated, gesturing unnecessarily to the dog lounging across the room. "Smartest dog in the country, I reckon." I was talking aimlessly to fill the silence. It didn't fail my notice that she had only spoken one word to me and that was her name. "Ain't nothing going to happen to you, whilst he's around. Damn clever dog." It was evident I was rambling now, though my talking seemed to ease her.

"I thought it was a girl." A small, timid voice spoke suddenly. I chuckled at this.

As if understanding the miscalculation of his gender, Toby let out a low unsatisfying grumble and rose to his feet before pounding over and nudging my outstretching foot with his snout. He did it for a while, before settling himself on the floor in front of us, back in his content posture.

"He's a boy, I'm afraid." I continued. "I've had him since he was a puppy. A birthday present. He's never left my side once since I got him. He's a good dog." Sophia murmured something unintelligible and I sighed. "Darling, do you want to tell me why you were out in the woods all alone?" Sophia's hand stopped stroking.

Glancing over to where Sophia was sat, I frowned. She looked so frail and breakable, surely she hadn't been able to survive all this time on her own? Toby and I barely survived together and we had weapons. The question seemed to transfix her for a few moments before she was suddenly on her feet.

"Momma!" She cried, startling Toby. I was on my feet in an instant and grabbed her before she made it to the door. Toby was up too and the patter of his feet on the wooden floor rushed around me, as I pulled Sophia close to me in an attempt to retrain her. "I need to go back! I need to get back to her!"

"Shush!" I hissed, putting a hand over her mouth to silence her loud outbursts. God knows what she could attract with her sudden wailing. "We need to keep quiet!" I felt her tears on my hand and knew briefly that I must have crossed a line, so I let her go immediately. She stood for a moment, before sniffing loudly.

"He told me to run back to the others if he didn't get back. But I didn't listen." Sophia's wavering voice broke. "I was scared and I ran, but then-" More tears and suddenly I felt helpless. Who "he" was, I did not know. I glanced down at Toby, who appeared to have calmed down now, and sighed.

"It's alright," I attempted to sooth her. "You're safe now and that's all that matters." She cowered away into herself and her body shook. "How about you rest up and you can explain to me in the morning." I suggested, already pulling out the remaining blanket I had. Sophia turned to me.

"But-"

"Darling, you're exhausted. You need to sleep." I urged. "You're no good in this state. Sleep and tell me all about it when you wake up. I'll be right here if you need me." I held out the blanket, with an open offer. She regarded it evenly for a moment before sniffing loudly and taking it. I watched as she curled back up in the corner of the room, tucking the blanket around her. Her tiny frame was engulfed in the battered, old blanket and she attempted to wipe away her tears before getting comfortable.

After a few short moments, I joined her, taking my previous seat and resting my head back against the wall. Sophia tried to shrug off some of her blanket over me and I smiled softly at her gesture.

"You need it more." I told her. "Rest up."

Outside, the sky was dimming and I knew it would be getting dark soon. Before, I was never particularly afraid of the dark, though now an unpleasant feeling fell into my gut when the evening fell. It was the unknown that got me, the creatures lurking within it, ready to rip you apart if you got too close. I thought briefly about all my close calls and all the times I had spent the night crying into Toby's fur.

Glancing at my new and mysterious companion, the loneliness of life crept over me and I felt sick to think that a mere child was thrust into a world like this.

_He told me to run back to the others if he didn't get back._

She wasn't alone, that was certain. There was a _he _and the thought of more people, more survivors, out in the world was daunting. I had spent all this time alone, my only companion a dog, and then this little girl came running through the forest, alone and scared.

I glanced from Toby to Sophia, wondering what was left of the old world and how there was even a place for a young girl, so innocent and pure.

Suddenly though, Toby's ears perked up and was instantly on alert. A wave of panic struck through me and I turned to Sophia subtly, to see that Toby's movements hadn't awoken her. Slowly and carefully, I hauled myself to me feet. Rummaging quietly through my bag, I found the last rounds of ammo I had and put them in my jacket packet before cocking the hand gun I had.

With my gun in one hand and my bat in another, I rose to my feet and let Toby creep forward in front of me. No sound caught my attention, but something had sure caught Toby's. He made his way through into hall of the rickety house and pawed in the direction of the front door. It was locked and secure enough, but something outside was bothering the German Shepherd.

I patted Toby's head lightly and swallowed hard before quietly walking towards the door. My heart thumped hard in my chest in a rapid fashion and the familiar feeling of fear struck through me and clenched my stomach. When I was closest to the door, I braved a glance through the single window next to it.

_Nothing. _

_Perhaps Toby was wrong? _I wondered, though I knew otherwise. Toby was never wrong. If the damn dog thought something was there, then something was there.

The dead hadn't been known for their stealth though. If it was one of them, then surely I would have heard it by now. With that thought in mind, I gathered that maybe a bird or an animal of some kind had gotten Toby's attention and I sighed in relief, lowering my gun an inch.

When I was about to turn around though and head back into the room with the slumbering girl, three raspy knocks were heard against the door. My breath caught.

Toby whimpered quietly and I felt his nose nudge my leg.

_Nothing dead would knock. _

Someone was out there, perhaps Sophia's friends? Though how on earth would they find us here - of all places?

It was then I knew who it was. I ground my teeth together and hesitantly unbolted the door.

"Always the charmer, Ruby. Will we ever meet when you don't thrust a gun in my face?"

A grey-haired, heavily built man whose face seemed to always be turned up into that familiar devilish snarl, today was no exception, stood at the door. His hands were stained with fresh blood and when I raised my eyes to his face, a smirk grew on his lips. He looked _satisfied. _Which was never a good sign.

"What are you doing here, how did you find me?" I demanded, my gun raised to his face, defiantly. I made a quick glance around the area outside to see if he had brought anyone else, when I saw no one, I turned my gaze back to him. His damn smile still remained.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? You know just as much as I, how dangerous it is to be out at a time like this." He stated in a prissy fashion.

"Answer me." I hissed. I got no answer, but an eyebrow raise. By my leg, I felt the presence of Toby and if I glanced down I knew I'd see a snarl on the dog's face. The man glanced down at Toby as if reading my mind. "Laurent." He raised his eyes at his own name and smirked again.

"I don't mean any harm, just want to chat." He offered off-handily, raising his arms in a 'reassuring gesture'. I knew better. The large, menacing gun on his belt said it all.

"Hand over your weapons first." Laurent judged my request for a few moments before obliging, a smug look on his face. Once I successfully had all his weapons, I took a few steps back, my gun still trained on him. "You try anything and I'll blow your head off."

"Duly noted." Laurent grinned before letting himself in and shutting the door behind him. I watched as he bolted up the door behind him and turned to face me with an expectant expression.

It suddenly hit me that I had let Laurent in, forgetting about Sophia's passed out body in the room next door. I could _not _let him see her, otherwise who knows what hell would be brought down on us.

Laurent made a pass to move into the kitchen though I stopped him quickly.

"In there." I nodded to the room opposite the kitchen, across the hall. Laurent studied me for a few moments before shrugging and obliging. I glanced down at Toby and knelt down in front of the dog as my new guest got comfortable next door. "Watch over her whilst I deal with him." I murmured. Toby titled his head and I pointed to the kitchen, clearly. "Look after her." Toby licked my face and then trotted away into the kitchen. With a sigh, I got to my feet and forced myself into the opposite room.

"Nice place you've got here." Laurent commented. I set his weapons down on the floor before sitting next to them. He had already made himself comfortable, leaning against a wall on the other side of the room.

"Ain't mine." I replied. Laurent raised his eyebrow and smirked. "How did you find me?"

"Stumbled across this run down place a few weeks ago, figured you'd find it sooner or later. Wandered by just now and saw someone had shut the door, I took a wild guess that it was you." His answer seemed plausible. He used to be able to track me and follow me wherever I went, though I had improved my skills after learning this and had made it difficult for him to find me. He still would eventually though, but now it was by accident. "Do you have any alcohol?"

"No. What do you want?"

"Alcohol would be nice." I glared at him until he chuckled. "Just come to see how you are."

"Bullshit."

"Language, my dear." Laurent sniggered, folding his arms across his chest. "Surely you must have grown use to my little visits."

"I thought we'd established, I don't want your company." I muttered, keeping my gun pointing in his general direction. It wavered slightly, though it was on hand incase he tried something. I doubted he would, he never had before, though I had to be safe. "Now, you gonna spit it out or are you going to drag all these familiarities along a little longer?"

"You know why I'm here."

"Enlighten me anyway." He sighed dramatically.

"The usual stuff, I'm afraid. I've come to try and convince you to come back."

"Key word; _try." _I muttered. He regarded me for a few moments, his face in thought.

"We can protect you." Laurent stated, suddenly, all humour gone. "We can provide you with security."

"You're monsters, that's what you are." I retorted, coldly. "I've told you, I'm fine on my own."

"You keep telling yourself that, but sooner or later, you're going to need us." Laurent sang, running his finger along the wood flooring.

"I rather doubt it." He stared at me, contemplating my words for a few moments before sighing.

"So you're going to gallivant through the woods with that stupid mutt of yours, until you get eaten?" Laurent challenged. "What a prospective future."

"If you haven't noticed, no one really has a future anymore. Living in the moment is all we can do now." I shot back. "And his name is Toby, not 'that stupid mutt'."

"Suppose so." Laurent smiled thinly. "You know, Jessica is asking about you." I paused for a moment and narrowed my eyes.

"What have you told her?" I demanded, my voice hard. I raised my gun higher and now let it point straight at Laurent's head. The movement didn't go amis.

"That you left on your own accord and I would try everything I could to bring you back." Laurent told me.

"You're giving her false hopes, huh?" I said, dryly. "I'm not coming back and you can tell her that from me. I won't play along with your sick games or your _evil _deeds and you can tell Jessica that when she wakes up and realises that, I'll be waiting to take her in." Laurent studied me for a long moment, his smile gone again.

"Your sister has the right idea, Ruby. She knows what she has to do to survive now. You on the other hand, seemed to think that going it alone is the way to do it. You're a fool, Ruby."

"And you're wasting your time." I sighed. "What do you _really_ want? Why am I so important; why can't you leave me alone?"

"I promised your sister-"

"She's made her choice and I have made mine!" I cried, startling Laurent for a brief moment. He composed himself and for the first time since he made his presence known that night, he glared at me.

"You'll get yourself killed if your not careful, Ruby." He warned. "The dead aren't the only things you need to worry about." There was a stony silence in the room as we regarded each other with an eerie exposition.

"Is that a threat?" I hissed. Laurent didn't answer, though he stood up. I was up instantly, my gun raised and strong.

"Can't stay any longer, promised the others I'd be back within the hour. It's going to take a while just to get back to my truck, let alone camp. Might aswell head off now before it gets too dark." His tone was far too friendly for my liking.

"That's a real shame, I was hoping you could stick around a little longer. Perhaps like old times?" My voice was dripping with sarcasm and Laurent merely chuckled.

"You got any food?" He asked. I didn't answer. With a sigh, he took off his own backpack and rummaged through it. He pulled out a smaller bag and threw it on the ground at my feet. "There's some bottles of water in there too. Should keep you going until we meet again."

"I don't intend for this to happen _again_." I told him. Laurent smiled and shrugged. _He_ knew otherwise.

"What about ammo?" He probbed. I glared at him and said nothing. "There's some in there too. We got lucky and came across a whole lot of stuff a while back, figured you'd need some more."

"Thanks." I muttered. And surprisingly, I meant it. And it took me a whole lot of force to actually say it to the man infront of me. He seemed to notice it too and raised a smug eyebrow.

"If you ever change your mind, I've given you map and circled our location." Laurent told me, gesturing pointlessly to the bag at my feet. "We found some survivors the other day, a family of six." His sudden comment was so light-hearted, simple and innocent. _I _knew better.

"And what have you done with them?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and said nothing. "To hell with all of you." He smiled darkly.

"One day, Ruby, one day."

"Yes, one day you'll get ripped apart and devoured, and I'll be laughing." If Laurent was affected by my comment, he didn't show it.

"Your bitterness amuses me. Though it's sad to see that you're still in denial." He stated, running a hand through his thin, grey hair. "I'm not sure how long I can keep all this up though, so you better change your mind soon. The boss is getting edgy."

"Let him, I don't care." I retorted, shrugging. They weren't my buisness anymore. Laurent smiled.

"Can I have my guns back yet?" I paused for a moment before gathering up the items on the ground. He held out his hands though I shook my head and gestured for the door. He smirked. "Still don't trust me yet?"

"Not on your life." He shrugged and walked past me, his heavy footsteps loud on the wooden floor. I only prayed Sophia didn't hear.

Toby was stood in the doorway of the kitchen, though remained still as we passed by. Laurent unlocked the front door and opened it. I cautiously handed him back his guns, which he checked over before tucking them away.

"Tell my sister," I blurted out without thought. Laurent raised his eyebrow in question. I licked my lips and swallowed hard. "Tell Jessica; I love her." He processed my words for a moment before nodding.

"Until next time, Ruby." Laurent smirked before strolling out of the door. I watched his retreating figure until he reached the edge of the forest and out of sight. I glanced around, checking for any signs of movement, whether it be living or the dead, before shutting and bolting up the door again.

Toby remained in the same position as before, his eyes watching me, his head titled slightly to the left. I sighed and strolled into the kitchen, patting his head as I passed.

To my complete surprise, Sophia's slumbering form hadn't moved an inch and I sighed in relief that she had slept through the meeting with Laurent. If he had seen her, I couldn't bare to think about the consequences.

With slow steps, I walked back to the blanket in the corner and sat down next to the sleeping girl. Toby made his way over too and settled himself down in front of us, same place as before. I watched as he listened for a moment, before deciding his was content and lay his head down on his paws. I sighed again and leant my head back against the wall, rolling it slightly to regard Sophia quietly.

I had plenty of questions about this girl. _Who was she? Where did she come from? Was she alone? Who was this 'he' she had spoken of? _Along with many more. Though any question I had would have to wait until the morning; Sophia was unconscious to the world at the moment.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes too and attempted to follow her into the world of slumber, which held promises for images of snarling teeth and clenching flaws and creatures that thirsted for my flesh. I couldn't run away from the nightmares.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Thank you to all who reviewed/read/favourited/alerted this story so far, though I only started it a day ago - I finished the next chapter, so I wanted to put it up as soon as. It means a lot and I hope this update isn't terrible! I don't know if I've jumped in too suddenly with this chapter but I hope you enjoy it. Please give me any constructive critisim you may have if you think I'm just waffling rubbish; I understand and just want to improve where I can. _

_Any thoughts on anything then? Be it be Ruby or Laurent or even Toby? You like them or are they too unbelievable? Anyone have any idea what Laurent and Ruby's conversation is about? Your thoughts are appreciated and welcomed! Thanks again and I shall try and have an update up soon. _


	3. Chapter Two

_Chapter Two_

Laurent had gone all out this time.

The bag he had given me was stuffed with food, water and ammo. It touching that he apparently cared enough to go to all the trouble, though after that passing thought I remembered what he truly was and scowled at the bag like it was an offender in it all too.

Sleep wasn't on my side the night before, whether it be my awkward positioning or the over-whelming responsibility of a child that had suddenly just been forced upon me, I did not know. Though when daylight broke, I got myself up and decided to see what Laurent had provided in his bag of persuasion.

My movements hadn't appeared to have awoken Sophia for a good few hours and I gathered her exhaustion made her dead to the world, so I made a good few trips around the house to see what I could scavenge and just to double check we were alone.

Laurent's bag of stuff was what I was used to and it was a pitiful thought that I relied on him for it. _I'm not sure how long I can keep all this up though, so you better change your mind soon. _His words remained with me as I sorted through the bags, and it was only the soft yawn from the little girl in the corner that snapped me out of my dazed trance.

Sophia looked around the room, her eyes slightly glazed, before a small frown appeared on her lips. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at me. I attempted to smile.

"Good morning." I nodded once. Sophia gazed at me for a long while before hauling herself to her feet and sitting down across from me at the little table.

She said nothing, but watched me as I continued working. Toby lay beside the table, already had his night's rest and looked seemingly pleased with himself. I wasn't sure if I was just going crazy due to all the time I had spent alone in this God forsaken forest or if Toby actually looked _smug. _

"How come you're all alone." Sophia asked suddenly, stopping me in my tracks. I raised my eyes and met her studious gaze. Nothing was said between us for a little while as I contemplated my answer.

"I'm not alone; I have Toby and now you." I replied, smiling. She didn't smile back.

"Don't you have a group?" She probed. A _group? _I sighed, wondering how completely wrong it was for a child to be growing up in a world like this. _It was wrong for _anyone_ to be in a world like this. _

"I did, but not anymore." I told her, honestly. She seemed to judge my answer for a few moments before nodding. She said nothing more, but looked down at her lap. "You hungry?" Sophia seemed to perk up at this and I even saw the glimpse of a smile as she nodded eagerly. I gestured to where I had stacked my small supply of food at the edge of the table. "Help yourself to whatever."

She obliged to it and I watched as she tucked into one of the individual sized boxes of dried cereal. Happy that she was now content, I turned back to the work in front of me and began to count how many rounds I had now with Laurent's additional ammo.

"Eww, tuna!" I was physically startled by this sudden exclamation of fish that I knocked half the ammo onto the floor. When I looked up, Sophia looked sheepishly embarrassed. "I'm sorry." I chuckled and shrugged, kneeling down to gather it all up.

"You don't like tuna, huh?" I asked, glancing across at her from the floor. She shook her head, her face scrunched up. I chuckled again. "Me neither. I think it's the smell that does it for me."

"Why do you have some if you don't like it?" A frown fell on my face; _had I a tin of tuna? _When I looked across at the stack of food, sure enough there it was. It suddenly dawned on me that this was probably from Laurent's bag and I sighed. _Old fool. _

"For Toby." I made up, silently apologising to the German Shepherd for bringing him into it all. Toby turned his head at his name, though made no movement and I got up off the floor, successfully gathering up the fallen ammo.

"Dogs like fish?"

"Toby does." I shrugged as an after thought. This appeared to repulse her and she eyed the tin as if it were a criminal. I had to agree with her. I watched as she tenderly took the tin between her hands, staring at it for a few moments before opening it. I cringed at the smell but couldn't help but smile as she placed it on the floor at Toby's feet.

I was actually surprised when the dog sniffed at it before sticking his tongue into the tin to try the food. I raised an eyebrow as Toby seemed happy to eat what was put in front of him and made a mental note; _Toby likes tuna. _

There was a brief silence between us and I was comforted by Sophia's sudden ease and decided I would grasp this opportunity by the horns. After seating myself back down, I met the little girl's gaze across the table.

"I think it's question time, don't you?"

The reaction was instant. The new, small smile that had formed on Sophia's face had vanished and had been replaced with a frown of some description and a burrow of eyebrows. The rag doll was clenched again and I feared briefly that she perhaps might tear the thing apart. Sophia gave me a nod in answer to my question.

"We'll reiterate the one from last night, huh?" I suggested. When she didn't answer I sighed. "Why were you alone in the forest, Sophia? You know that's a bad idea, right?" Sophia nodded numbly for a moment.

"I ran away when I wasn't supposed to." She began, surprisingly with no tears. "They found me and chased me into the forest. Mr Grimes, he protected me though and told me to hide so he could drawn them away." Then the tears began to flow. "I was so scared, I didn't want to wait there for another to come, I just wanted my momma. So I tried to run back, but some more found me and I kept on running in the wrong direction. He told me to keep the sun on my left shoulder, but I didn't and I got lost and I thought they were going to kill me-" She broke off into a sob and I reached over and grasped her little hand in mine.

"Remember, Sophia, you're safe now." I urged. She nodded and tried to compose herself.

"I didn't do as I was told." She concluded tearfully. I thought for a moment before nodding.

"It appears to me that this is just one big misunderstanding and I'm sure when we find your family again, everything will be fine." That stopped the crying and she brought out the big wide doe eyes as she gazed at me.

"You're going to try and find them?" She asked in wonderment. I frowned.

"Well, of course." I replied in mock astonishment. "They're probably searching high and low for you." Sophia let out a rare giggle and bowed her head. I didn't fail to see the small smile back on her face. "Where were you when you left them?"

"A highway." Sophia replied and I sat in thought for a moment, trying to work out which she meant. "Mr Dale's caravan broke down so we had to stop and fix it. A whole lot of walkers came by though and we had to hide under the cars-"

"'Walkers'?" I mused, raising an eyebrow. Sophia nodded.

"That's what I've heard the grown-ups call them. Or geeks. They call them geeks sometimes too." I paused for a moment, taking in all these answers.

"Darling, how many are there in your group?" Sophia immediately brought out the aid of her fingers as she counted.

"Eleven including me." I swallowed hard and chewed thoughtfully on my fingernail for a moment.

They most definitely weren't as large as Laurent and his 'group', though big enough. At the mere thought of Laurent though, I realised that Sophia's group may not be a threat, but _in danger. _It could be possible that Laurent and the others could come across them and I wasn't sure how much of a fight Sophia's group would put up.

"And is Mr Grimes the 'he' you spoke of last night?" Sophia nodded again.

I opened my mouth to speak again, but Toby suddenly made a disapproving noise and was on his feet. At first I wondered if the smell of tuna had caught up with him, but the noise he had made was all too familiar. I stared down at the dog and watched as he began to look uncomfortable and I knew instantly that we had visitors. Sophia must have known too as she let out a gasp of fear. I silenced her quickly by holding a finger to my lips and pointing to the blanket in the corner. She gathered my meaning and scuttled back over there, curling herself up in the corner again.

Thankful for the new ammo, I picked up my gun and bat. Toby remained still, though he faced the door in a defiant fashion. I hoped briefly that it was just Laurent come back again, but I knew otherwise.

Slowly I crept over to the curtained off window and drew it back an inch. It was light outside, a sunny day infact, but that wasn't what got my attention.

_Walkers _- as Sophia had called them - at least two dozen of them. I kept any emotion from flitting across my face, as not to alarm the little girl in the corner, and studied them all. Their movements were slow and staggered. There was no meaning in their direction and I felt relieved that they must not have cottoned onto our existence yet. I felt even more relieved that they appeared to just be passing the house.

I swallowed hard and let the curtain fall closed. In my head, I ran through each exit and window in the house. All the doors were closed and bolted, all the windows were either boarded up or curtained over as to not let any movements go noticed from the passing dead.

Comforted only a little, I knew all we could do was wait it out and remain silent. Still clutching my weapons, I silently moved back to Sophia and sat down beside her again. Toby was reluctant to come back, though he sat himself down beside me, his attention solely on listening and I was content by this too.

"Darling," I whispered. "I'm afraid we cannot go looking for your group today. We're going to have to wait here until it's safe." I didn't need to explain anymore to the girl.

"Are they out there?" Her timid voice asked. I thought for a moment, wondering if lying might be easier for the girl.

"Yes." There was a long moment of silence.

"How many?" That question required a little more thought.

"Enough." With that, I felt pressure on my left as Sophia curled up against me. I froze for a moment at the contact, but soon put my arm around the girl to give her the comfort I could.

Toby remained vigil and we remained silence.

* * *

My younger sister, Jessica, was staying with Toby and I when the outbreak started. At first, we remained adamant to what was apparently occurring in the world and it wasn't until the blood-filled screams of pain and cries of death echoed down our neighbourhood that we knew we had to go.

Without much, we headed out as quickly as we could, driving straight to our parent's home. Jessica didn't want to bring Toby, saying he would be a burden. I shot her down immediately and declared he was staying no matter what. She didn't say anymore more of it as we arrived on our parent's street.

It was a bold hope that it would be safe with them. A bold hope. Once we arrived on our parent's doorstep, there was evidently something wrong when they didn't answer our knocks or calls. The abandoned street would have been our first clue, though with a pounding head of questions and uncertainties, it was hard to focus on anything but the echoes of those cries we had heard in our own neighbourhood.

Jessica's scream was the next thing to notify me that something was wrong. After searching the downstairs for our parents, I rushed upstairs to the source of my sister's screams. Only to find my father lying dead on the bed and a mangled creature over him, ripping at his insides and spooning the bits of flesh and organs into it's snarling mouth. Upon our entrance, the creature looked up from it's feeding and let out something resembling a growl in our direction. Too entranced by it all, my sister and I did not move as the beast climbed off the body of our father and staggered towards us. A little closer, it's identity practically was a punch to the gut.

"Mama?" I heard Jessica breath.

It all happened in a blur. One moment, the thing that was our mother had curled it's claws around Jessica's arm, about to bite, the next it's body lay on the floor; a hole in it's head.

"Are you two fucking crazy? Do you want to get yourselves killed?" - and that was how we met Laurent.

Laurent was a hot-headed man, a few decades older than my sister and myself. He told us that he was passing through when he heard the strangled screams of my sister. Having not seen anyone living yet, he decided to investigate and came across our uninformed selves.

We were bustled into his truck quickly, after he had taken the time to gather as much as he could from our house despite our protests, and were gone before the gathering group of dead came down the street towards us.

Jessica layered him with frantic questions through her sobs, whilst I remained silent in the back of his truck with Toby. After making some introductions, Laurent told us briefly about what was going on.

_A worldwide epidemic._

_The dead coming back to life. _

_Don't get bit or scratched. _

_Destroy the brain. _

"So, you're telling us that this is some sort of zombie apocalypse?" I demanded, breaking my silence. Laurent's eyes met mine in his rear-view mirror and that was the first time I saw that oh-so familiar smirk that I grew use to seeing now.

"Something like that."

* * *

Sophia had stopped crying a while ago, though she still clutched against me, her fingers grasping around my arm painfully. I didn't have the heart to tell her to get off and I actually felt better with someone else's presence, despite her merely being a child. Toby still hadn't settled and I knew we were not out of danger yet.

"Where are you guys from?" I murmured, needing to take Sophia's and my mind off what was outside. There was a hesitant pause before an answer.

"We've just come from Atlanta." She replied in a whisper.

"Atlanta? That sounds nice." I attempted to give a light answer, though it sounded far too fake to me. Sophia didn't reply. "You mentioned your momma before. Is she waiting for you back with your group?"

"Yes." I felt her nod next to me. There was a quiet sniff before she continued. "She is a nice lady, my momma." I smiled slightly. "She takes real good care of me."

"And your father?" I probed. Though apparently my question had been the wrong one as the child fell silent. I mentally hit myself for not being more sensitive. "Sorry." I muttered. "Should have thought-"

"He wasn't a nice person." Sophia said suddenly, her voice over-whelmed with emotion, as if she was struggling to contain herself. "He was mean and hurt my momma." I didn't know what to say, though I vaguely noted the past tense as she spoke and wondered if that was a good thing. "I wished I had a dad more like Carl's, but now I don't have one at all." Silence fell between us as Sophia's words hung in the air. I chewed my nail in thought.

"Who's Carl?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't be met with more woeful tales about how this 'Carl' was gone, just like her father seemed to be. Truth be told, I should probably think before I speak.

"He's Mr Grimes' son." Sophia told me, her tone perking up. I inwardly sighed. "He's my friend."

"Well, you're lucky to have him, darling. Friends are hard to come by now." I muttered under my breath. Sophia still heard it though.

"When we find my momma and the others, you can be Carl's friend too." She stated suddenly, her voice so full of strength and defiance that I actually breathed a quiet chuckle.

"I'm sure I'd be honoured." I replied. More silence fell between us and I tried to ignore the sounds of moans coming from outside.

"Where's _your_ momma?" Sophia asked, her voice almost pleading to keep up conversation. _Dead. _Was the reply I bit back, though I couldn't stop the mental images of when I last saw my mother from blaring in my head.

_My father lying dead on the bed and a mangled creature over him, ripping at his insides and spooning the bits of flesh and organs into it's snarling mouth. _

The look of hunger in her eyes as she made a move to bite into my sister's arm haunted me for weeks after the incident. I couldn't cry though at first, I remained almost emotionless. It all over-whelmed me though, my emotions building up, before one night I completely broke down and mourned for the loss of our parents and the world we once knew. I could remember as Laurent watched on with an almost sympathetic expression, which was gone when I tried to fathom it.

"She's in a better place." Was the reply I forced for Sophia. I didn't need to emphasise the implications. "My papa too." I paused for a moment and closed my eyes. "My sister is still alive though."

"Are you looking for her?" Sophia asked, a tone of hope in her voice now.

"No." I shook my head without reason. "I know where she is."

"Then why don't you go get her?" Sophia's tone was confused now and I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

"Because she doesn't want me to." I sighed. Sophia appeared to process this for a moment before letting the conversation drop.

The silence drifted on again between us and I glanced at Toby, biting back any frustrated noises as I saw he still remained on alert. Perhaps I had misjudged the size of this passing group? I didn't particularly care as long as they didn't come a knocking on the door.

Deciding I needed to keep the conversation going, I racked my brain for something to say before smiling slightly.

"You want to play a game?"

Word association was something my parents would do to keep my sister and I content on long car journey's. It was a simple, but fool-proof plan as Jessica and I would spend endless games in the back seat of our father's Mustang, going from the word 'shoe' to 'moustache' as we travelled to Grandma's and back.

We played a handful of games as we waited it out, all child-friendly, and soon I actually forgot about the upending danger outside. I forgot about a lot of things as I sat beside that little girl, her presence alone giving me something I hadn't properly had in a while; human contact. It felt good actually having someone to talk to who wasn't a four legged animal with a tail, and without having to delve too deep into any emotions.

We kept things simple as we passed the time and simple was good. Simple was safe.

* * *

"Where are we going to go?" Jessica's voice cut into the silence like a blunt knife. Laurent gave her a mere side glance before refocusing himself back onto the road. "There has to be somewhere safe?" I closed my eyes and tried to block out her pitching tone and tried to focus on the roar of the engine.

"Feel free to put forward a suggestion, girl." Laurent muttered.

"What's going to happen when we run out of fuel?" Jessica continued.

"We walk."

"Walk?" Her voice shrieked, startling even Toby. I opened my eyes and glared at the back of Jessica's head. My head was throbbing enough without her making it worse.

"That's what I said." Laurent sighed. He carried on quickly without letting Jessica start up again. "You girls know how to handle a gun?"

"Our father let us hold his rifle a couple of times." Jessica offered. I sighed through my nose.

"No we don't." I muttered. Laurent met my eyes in the mirror again and nodded once. His face scrunched up in thought for a moment and he stared back out of the windscreen.

I focused my attention then on the bag that was on the floor of the backseat. Sticking out of the half done up zip was the shaft of a rifle and I was surprised I hadn't noticed it before. Without asking Laurent, I leaned forward and unzipped the back, revealing it's content.

_Guns. _A lot of guns. I had only ever seen my father's rifle up close, and Laurent's ranged from rifles to handguns to a very heavy looking one, which Laurent told me later was a sniper. My eyes widened at the sight of them.

"You sure came prepared." I observed. Jessica had turned around in her chair too and was having a look. She let out a gasp, but surprisingly didn't say anything.

"Gotta be." Laurent replied. "Ain't just guns in there. Keep looking and take your pick. I'm not going to let you girls go unarmed at a time like this."

I was taken back for a moment by his blunt kindness and smiled briefly at him when he met my eyes in the mirror again. Jessica wasn't so thankful and was delving into the bag without a word. I decided to wait until she had chosen hers before I took a look.

Without having any experience of guns, I decided that I would take one of the handguns and mentally told myself to ask for Laurent to teach me when (_if_) we found a secure place to 'hold up', as Laurent called it. A glint of silver caught my eye and I carefully pulled out a large hunting knife that looked practically brand new. I knew a lot more about knives than I did about guns, didn't really take too much training to know which way to hold the thing, and pocketed that beside my gun.

I delved further into this, what seemed to be, a never ending bag of weapons before touching something that wasn't metal. It felt smooth and dull beneath my fingertips and I grasped around the object before carefully pulling it out of the bag.

_A baseball bat. _I smiled fondly at the memories of playing this sport when I was younger and the occasional game I went to with my father. The thought soon died though at the images of my father being eaten by his own wife and my smile faded.

I placed the bat across my lap, content with what I had got and looked back at the driver.

"Thank you." I said, meaningfully. Laurent chuckled darkly.

"Let's just hope you have a good swing." He muttered, slowly bringing the car to a halt.

Confusion struck me for a moment, glancing out the window I saw no visible reasoning for us stopping.

"Out of fuel_."_ Laurent supplied as the excuse._ Looks like we were walking sooner than we anticipated. _

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jessica demanded. Laurent ignored her.

"You killed one yet?" Laurent asked, gathering up his bag of weapons and taking out a large rifle. He handed us both some ammo, I pocketed my own and patted Toby on the head, swallowing down the sudden intense of fear.

"No." Our driver pondered this for a moment before nodding and jumping out the truck. We followed, walking around to the front of the truck to stand with Laurent. He pointed put in front of us.

"You better be fast learners."

Sure enough, five figures in total were staggering towards us. They were moving slowly and were not at a dangerously close distance yet, though I could see the hunger in their faces as they made their way towards us. Jessica let out a tearful sob and tried to make a run back into the truck. Laurent grabbed her arm.

"Hiding won't do you any good." He hissed. "You got to deal with it or die. The world doesn't have any room for cowards."

_They were people though. Humans. _I thought, my head rushing. _They were just sick. _My hands held onto the bat, the knife and the gun shakily and I was at a risk of dropping them. Bile rose to my throat as the _things _got closer, some with their insides hanging out, one without an arm. The smell hit me like a ton of bricks; _rotting flesh. _But they were _people. _Just like us.

"They'll kill you." Laurent's voice suddenly sprung. "Without hesitation. They'll eat your insides and devour you like you were food. Perhaps you might turn into one of them. Unless you're fond of that idea, I suggest you react now." There was a pause. "Unless you want to end up like your parents."

Jessica gasped and spun to face Laurent, her face red with terror, her whole body shaking. I swallowed down hard with hesitation before raising the gun I had in the direction of the only female in this group. She was staggering with a limp, her foot seemingly twisted or broken. A snarl was on her lips, her upper lip hitched up to reveal blood-stained teeth. She had the same look of hunger our mother did before she tried to sink her teeth into Jessica. _Surivival _was what Laurent had called it. I closed my eyes.

_Bang. _

The shot echoed in my ears and I exhaled instantly, not even realising I was holding my breath.

When I opened my eyes, the _things _were still coming towards us, though one lay on the ground. _Dead. _It was the woman. I had_ killed _her.

I couldn't remember much after that. Laurent's demands were shouting in my ear, though they seemed to be more directed at Jessica than myself. My sister refused to do it though, her sobs shaking and shrill. There was a grunt of frustration from Laurent before four more shots were fired, as he shot each of them in the head with his rifle.

"Girl, you better get your head out your ass because this isn't a fairy tale land anymore!" Laurent shouted, his words spitting in my sister's direction. "When I say kill them, I mean _kill _them. We haven't got time for this. It's killed or be killed."

My sister's harsh reply was deaf to me, though all I remembered was that it was loud and high.

"I'm going to have to kick some sense into you, otherwise you're not going to last two minutes out here." Laurent muttered. "Now get in the God damn truck and let's go before some more of the bastards come, some will have heard the gun shots."

My sister's footsteps retreated back to the truck and the sound of the door opening and slamming caught my attention and knocked me out of reality. I looked away from the five dead figures on the ground and towards Laurent.

"I thought you said we were out of fuel?" I asked. Laurent smirked and shrugged.

"I lied." He replied. I stared at him, incredulously. Laurent glanced back at the dead bodies before turning back to me, his eyes trailing down to the gun in my hand. He nodded approvingly. "Nice shot." He shot me one last grin before making his slow tracks back to the truck. I followed him quickly, letting Toby jump in first before climbing in after. Laurent got the truck started again and we were moving.

He swerved to avoid the bodies and I stared out of my window down at them as we passed. Bullet holes grazed their foreheads and their eyes were now open and unseeing. The one I had shot, was twisted in an awkward position and I bite back the tears as we rolled away.

I had _killed. _I had killed for the first time and I knew immediately that it wouldn't be my last if I wanted to survive. Staring down at the gun in my hand, I glared at it like it were all it's fault, though it was _me _that pulled the trigger. I felt sick.

"Stop the truck." I murmured quickly.

It was loud enough for Laurent to hear though and he stopped immediately, turning to me with a quizzical look. I ignored it though and opened my car door, practically falling out of it as I did. I staggered for a few moments before bending over and throwing up at the side of the road.

* * *

"I think they've gone." I stated after one whole hour of observing Toby. He had calmed down a good sixty minutes previous and looked content now. Sophia didn't say anything, though I hauled myself to my feet and made my way, slowly, over to the window.

_Nothing. _Outside the house was empty and free from any of the dead. I let the curtain fall back though and returned back to Sophia.

"We'll go looking for your group in the morning, gives us a day of looking."

"I don't want to put you in danger." Sophia said quietly, her head bowed. I stared at the little girl for a few long moments before sighing.

"Darling, you're not putting me in any more danger than I was before." I told her, realising I should really work on my sensitivity and blamed it on the lack of proper human contact for a while. "We'll find your group, I promise. I'm not going to leave you stranded out in the woods whilst your momma is looking for you."

"My momma will like you." Sophia replied, smiling at me. I forced a smile myself and took the girl's hand in mine, squeezing it.

"We'll head to that highway you were talking about and see if they're still there in the morning."

"And if they're not?"

"Then we'll just keep on looking until we find them." I told her, firmly. Her smile was big and wide now, and I couldn't stop myself from properly returning it this time. "Now, as we've got an evening to kill, how about you tell me more about your momma? She sounds lovely."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Thanks for all your reviews, favourites etc so far. Though I'd love to know more about what you readers (if there is any) think about my story; whether it be my storyline, my OCs or whether it's just to tell me my story sucks. Constructive critisism is welcomed and all I want to do is improve. Thanks again, though. _

_On another note; I just got The Walking Dead graphic novel today - Compendium One. Haven't started it yet, but I can't wait! Hopefully it'll be as good as the series was, hopefully better! :) _


	4. Chapter Three

_Chapter Three_

We found the highway, Sophia spoke of, on the map Laurent had provided me, the next morning. It took longer to work out our current location, but once we did I realised how much of a long trek ahead of us there was. It would be a dangerous journey to the highway, though it was manageable in a day as long as we were quick and as quiet as possible.

I don't know if it was the prospect of seeing her family again, or just getting out of the house, but Sophia's mood picked up a considerable amount as we packed everything up to leave. The little girl offered to carry some of supplies herself, so I handed her the small bag Laurent had given me, which contained half the food and the blankets in - the lighter of my two rucksacks.

After scanning outside for any stragglers from the group last night and, thankfully, finding it clear the three of us left the confinements of the run down shack and into the clearing. I quickly gave the map a once over, concluding the direction we would be taking then turned to Sophia. Only to find her stood a few feet away, with her back to me.

"Sophia?" I called, carefully. I took hesitant steps towards her and found the object of her attention to be a white petalled rose.

"What is it?" She murmured. I knelt down beside the flower to study it closer.

My mother had quite an obsession when it came to flowers. She had endless books on every possible kind of flower imaginable and had scrapbooks with pressed flowers in them that she had found in her travels. I racked my brain quickly to try and unhinge some of knowledge my mother had forced upon me to answer Sophia's question.

"It's a Rosa laevigata." I told her, glancing over my shoulder at the little girl. She frowned at this and I chuckled. "Better known as the Cherokee Rose. There was a story about it, a legend, but I'm afraid I can't remember what it was exactly." I smiled sadly at Sophia, who in turn gave me a radiant grin.

"How do you know about flowers?" Sophia asked me as we headed into the thick of the forest. Toby trailed ahead with meaningful steps and I continuingly scanned the area around is for anything the dog may have missed. Sophia stayed close to my side, her hand clutched in mine.

"My mother loved flowers." I told her, giving her a run through of how deep my mother's obsession was for them and added that she had admitted once that if there were a fire in the house, she would save all her scrapbooks of flowers before even my sister and I. We _hoped _she was joking.

Toby stopped us a number of times, some just being a false alarm and being merely a bird or a small animal (_even Toby wasn't perfect_). Though we were cautious every time his ears pricked up and sometimes the dead did pass by us.

Three of them together was the most we saw at once. They were feeding on what looked to be a deer, though it far too devoured to be sure. I debated in my head whether or not we should just pass by unnoticed and leave them to their feed, though I wondered then if that decision would come back to haunt us later on our journey.

"Don't look." I murmured to Sophia, handing her the bigger bag. If she didn't like what I was about to do, she didn't voice it. She merely nodded once and held her head in her hands.

As their attention was diverted, killing them was easy. I had knocked two of them down before the third had even gotten a chance to get to it's feet. I dispatched him though before it could get too close, though it's rank breath lingered as it fell and I swallowed down the rising sick, before turning to scope the area.

"Let's go." I urged, taking the bag back from Sophia and her hand in mine. We bypassed the bodies quickly and I pretended I hadn't seen Sophia wiping away the fresh tears that had just sprung from her eyes.

* * *

"I've found others." Laurent stated one evening as he got back from his one of his scopes of the area. We had made 'camp' in an abandoned gas station, which we were lucky enough to come across when the truck actually did run out of fuel.

"More of those things?" Jessica cried.

We had been holding up in the gas station for the best part of two weeks now and had our fair share of run ins with the dead. Laurent was the one who disposed of them usually, which he did with the blunt end of one of the shot guns or a knife - gun shots would attract more, he told us, so we had to kill them 'quietly'. I was therefore forced to make good use of my bat and knife and had a hand of dispatching ones that tried to attack the gas station.

The first few times I killed, I was met with the similar reaction I had when I killed that woman on that abandoned road. I threw up a lot, cried when Laurent and Jessica weren't around and attempted to hold myself together. After a while though, the pain began to subside and soon all I could feel was numb as I clobbered heads in with the brute force of my bat. Laurent's bellowing echoed in my ears, though his words we aggressive, they had meaning and I realised what he was saying made sense. No matter how abrupt he was. I didn't enjoy to kill, but soon I grew to realise that Laurent was right; _kill or be killed. _There had been plenty of close calls in the gas station and I knew I had to come to turns with the new world if I wanted to survive. I dulled out my emotions and killing was just a numb instinct now.

I stopped throwing up and cried almost never.

Jessica, however, was a different story. It took a while before she actually had the courage to kill and when she did, she screamed and she cried and I had to take away from Laurent before the man actually throttled her. He was getting angry with her, I could tell. I, however, understood it would be harder for Jessica to adapt than it was for me. She still held onto the old world and was too naive to think of the badness and evil of reality. She was far too _good. _Laurent said she was far too optimistic. Apparently there wasn't any time for optimists anymore.

Laurent regarded my sister for a few moments, before shaking his head at her question.

"Other survivors." He replied.

The whole concept of their being other survivors hadn't even dawned on me. I seemed to think that it was only Laurent, Jessica and myself alone in this dreary world now, and my heart literally skipped as he told us of a camp he had found in a nearby town.

"They told me we could join them and hold up with them for safety." Laurent explained, already packing him gear. "We have to pull our weight, but I'm sure they'll find jobs that don't involve killing." His eyes lingered on Jessica.

"And you trust them?" I demanded. Jessica was following Laurent's lead in packing, though I remained still, hesitant to believe Laurent's words.

"They've given me no reason not to." Laurent shrugged, not meeting my gaze.

"How big is the group?" I continued probing.

"Over a dozen at least. From what I saw." Laurent replied. "There's women there too." I saw Jessica's eyes brighten at that - more girl company that was probably a lot more stimulating than my own. "The lad I spoke to told me to gather up our gear, get you two and report back to their camp where we'll be speaking to their leader." I snorted. "Look, Ruby. These are the first living people we've come across since all this shit started. They're just other survivors, other people, who are offering us safety and protection." He hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder and met my gaze. "I'm taking my truck and I'm driving over to that camp. You're free to join me if you wish."

He held my gaze in a defiant manner, daring me to object. I swallowed hard and nodded once, still not overall happy with the idea, but knowing that I didn't have the strength to go it alone without Laurent.

"Should we take some food?" Jessica asked, glancing around the few shelves of food there was in the gas station. Laurent nodded and threw an empty bag to Jessica.

"You two pack up as much as you can and I'll go get the truck ready." He took all three of our bags and headed off, leaving us to gather as much as we could possible and shove into the bag provided.

"Why don't you trust them?" Jessica asked when the door of the gas station swung shut and we were alone. She was piling toiletries into the bag, whilst I had headed over to the canned foods. "This is the best luck we've had in weeks."

"I just think we should be cautious." I admitted. "The worlds can to shit - as Laurent would put it - and who knows what else is out there. I mean, I hardly think societal rules apply anymore."

"You didn't object to trusting Laurent." Jessica pointed out. I froze with my handful and sighed, dropping it all in the bag before going back for more.

"That was different. He saved our lives, things were just getting crazy when he came along. We might as well be cautious, now that everything has died down."

"Interesting choice of words." Jessica mumbled, letting the subject drop.

We filled the bag until if could just about shut, before Laurent appeared and took the bag off our hands and out into the truck. We followed him obediently and all clambered into the truck.

"Here." Laurent muttered, handing over a plastic bag to me, before starting up the engine. I frowned and glanced in it, seeing it full of cans of dog food. After glancing briefly at Toby, who had taken to sticking his head out the window, I turned back to Laurent. "Thought the damn mutt would need it. He ain't eating my food." I smiled briefly and nodded my thanks. I didn't have the heart to tell him that none of the brands of food he had picked were any that Toby particulary liked. But I knew there was no time to be picky and Tody would just have to _deal with it _- as Laurent put it.

* * *

My feet ached, more than ever now. The terrain wasn't particularly hiker friendly, though the forest was thick and did, however, provide a substantial amount of cover. We tried to keep to the thicker bushes, though soon the trees began to lesson again and the sound of rushing water was heard. The sound made Sophia speed up and she jogged ahead. I had to run after her quickly with Toby at my heels.

"This is it." Sophia's voice cried with glee. I caught up with her and found her stood at the bank of a shallow river. "This is where Mr Grimes left me." She pointed over to some over hung branches and shrubs. "That's where he told me to hide."

"We must be getting close." I noted, nodding with approval. Crouching down, I pulled out the map again and set it on the forest floor. I located the river quickly and saw the highway was quite nearby. Sophia must have been looking over my shoulder at the map too as she grabbed the my shoulder and tugged hard.

"Come on, come on!" She cried. I shushed her quickly and she grinned bashfully, though still tugged. "They'll be waiting on the highway." I folded the map up quickly and straightened up.

"Give me your hand." I instructed.

"Does Toby like water?" Sophia pondered, placing her hand in mine and staring down at the German Shepherd with a quizzical look. I shrugged.

"He's going to have to."

Toby was indeed reluctant at first, though soon followed in after Sophia and I began to wade across. I tried to be vigilant and let Toby onto the bank first before hoisting Sophia up after him. My shoes were soaked now, which would make the rest of the journey even more uncomfortable, but the look on Sophia's face made me forget about it. I had never seen someone so happy and excited, it was like she was waiting for Christmas. I smiled to myself and urged the other two to push on.

I had always thought of myself as not overly social but enough to get on with people. The prospect of meeting Sophia's group was growing as we neared the highway Sophia had last seen them. I had no idea what to expect, but I only could hope that they were different from the last survivors I had come across and left behind.

What was surprising was that we had not come across anymore of the dead after we crossed the river. I remained scanning the area and attempting to contain Sophia from full sprinting to the highway. I kept the hold I had on the little girl's hand tight and made it clear to her that I wouldn't be letting her run off.

"We're nearly there!" Sophia stated, suddenly. She pointed out ahead. "I can see the banking!" I quickened our pace only slightly until we reached the bottom of the banking before pulling Sophia to a halt. She looked up at my, confused.

"We go up slowly." I instructed her, taking out my gun and hitched the bat on the straps on my backpack incase I needed it. After checking the ammo in my gun, I looked back up at Sophia. "You promise me, that you will stay behind me. You're family may be up there Sophia, but we don't know what else could be there too. You understand?"

"I'll stay behind you." Sophia nodded, hanging her head slightly and grasping the bottom of my t-shirt with her tiny hand, the other holding the rag doll.

After checking Toby was by me, we crept slowly up the banking and onto the highway, ready to greet Sophia's family. When we reached the top, Sophia edged her way around me to get a look, probably to find her mother-

-only to find it _deserted. _

I heard a tiny gasp from Sophia as we scanned the highway in front of us. There was numerous of abandoned and wrecked cars, some of whom still had bodies in, all none moving thankfully. Though other than that, no one was there. I swallowed hard and quickly found Sophia's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"They're not here." Sophia whispered.

I climbed over the barrier and lifted Sophia over after me, not failing to notice the unshed tears in her eyes. Once over, Sophia wandered ahead, in and out of the cars in an attempt to find her group. Though it was useless. I wandered behind her, glancing in some of the cars as we passed. Some looked ransacked and looted and I suspected that perhaps Sophia's group may have had some doings in that before they left.

"Mr Dale's camper has gone." Sophia told me, pointing out in front of her. "It was parked there, Mr Grimes car behind it and Mr Dixon's bike here." She made a vague show and tell of where each vehicle was placed and I figured it was more for her own benefit of trying to convince herself they _were_ here, than myself.

"I'm sure they haven't gone far." I assured her. I glanced down at Toby, who stared back up at me with what I interpreted to be a sarcastic head tilt that just screamed; _seriously? Is that the best you can do? _Though I placed it on the heat and scratched the dog's head with my knuckles before walking over to Sophia. "We'll find them, don't worry." She stared up at me with wide eyes.

"We don't know where they've gone though." She sniffed. I opened my mouth to speak, though something caught my eye over Sophia's shoulder. I frowned and made my way over to one of the cars, whose bonnet had a small supply of food on and whose windscreen had white writing on. It was only when I was closer that I could read it;

_Sophia, stay here. We will come back everyday. _

My heart actually left and I frowned at that thought. How had I gotten so tied up in this little girl's welfare?

"Sophia." I called, looking over my shoulder and beckoning the girl over. She did so and I saw the giddy smile from before return.

"Momma." She murmured, grasping her hand in mine and grinning up at me. "They're going to come back for me!" I nodded and smiled.

"Now all we have to do is wait." I shrugged, handing Sophia one of the bottles of water her group had left for her and glanced around to find Toby, who was surprisingly not by my side.

I found him staring down the highway behind us, his ears cocked and his posture stiff. My stomach sank at that. _No, no, not now! _I slowly tugged my hand free from Sophia's and went to Toby's side to see if I could see the upending danger that he was apparently hearing.

"Ruby?" Sophia's scared voice asked. I saw no staggering bodies coming towards us from between the cars and wondered if perhaps Toby had seen yet another animal move.

The roaring sound of a distant car engine told me otherwise.

"It's them!" Sophia heard it too and ran to my side.

I didn't know whether to be relived or slightly hesitant as the sound of the car engine came closer. I watched the horizon though and waited to see this camper Sophia had spoken about or perhaps the motorbike. The girl beside me was practically jumping with excitement and I glanced around quickly to make sure there were no dead creeping up behind us whilst our attention was occupied.

Satisfied, I turned back, only to have my heart drop again at the sight of the familiar truck appear on the horizon. Then, two more tucks followed and I felt my fists clench and my stomach twist.

"No!" I hissed.

Sophia's excitement had died down, probably confused at the unfamiliar vehicles, but I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the nearest car. I opened the back door and ordered Sophia in. She did so and Toby followed suit. I shut the door behind them and climbed into the front.

"Lie down on the floor if you can and stay quiet." I ordered, attempting to curl up into the floor of the passenger seat.

"Who are they?" Sophia asked, her voice sounding close to tears.

"Not our friends." I replied. "Promise me, you'll be quiet. They can't know we're here. They'll go eventually, but we must be quiet."

"I promise." The sounds of the cars was closer now and I heard the stopping somewhere nearby.

"They'll go eventually." I repeated, in a whisper. _Hopefully, _was what I didn't add.

There was a long moment of silence and then the sound of door slams followed. Obnoxiously loud voices of men I had tried to forget, was heard and then a sickening sound of laughter. It was the next familiar voice that piped up that confirmed what I already knew.

"Alright, keep your voices down, lads. There's no need to be _that _loud!" That voice belonged to Laurent.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Thanks again to all my followers and reviewers. I'm not actually sure what is exactly written on that can windscreen that the group left for Sophia - I tried finding the episode online, but struggled. If I'm wrong and if anyone knows what it actually says, please tell me!_

_If anyone wanted to know the timeline of this story - the first night Sophia was with Ruby, that was the night Rick and Daryl went out looking for her and cut open that walker (yum). The next day, when the herd passed by the house Ruby and Sophia were in, was when the group went out looking for her and found the church and Carl got shot. That night was when Andrea, Dale, Carol and Daryl stayed behind to wait for her (Ruby and Sophia were in the house still). And for the sake of the story, they left to go to Hershal's sometime before Sophia and Ruby arrived on the highway, looking for them. _

_I don't intend to keep to the storyline of the show, but whilst Sophia is still missing (and potentially dead) to the group, they're actions and such will be the same as in the show. If and when Ruby and Sophia catch up with them, then yes I will change the show's events. I hope all of that ^^ isn't all confusing! Thanks again._


	5. Chapter Four

_Chapter Four_

Sophia remained still and I silently thanked the girl for that. Toby let out a quiet whimper, but otherwise did nothing either. The voices sounded close, too close for any sort of comfort. I tried to hastily think of a way out the situation we were in, though the pounding in my head was making it near impossible.

"Jesus, this place is a shit hole!" One of the men outside said. The voice was familiar, though I couldn't put a name to it.

"Never mind that," Laurent's voice followed again. "Get looting; the boss' orders." There were a few grumbles before the collective sound of car doors opening and content chatter.

I then realised that it was a likely possibility that if they were looting the cars, they would find us. I silently cursed before trying to adjust myself quietly to see if I could get a better view of outside. I got a glimpse at a few figures moving in and out of the cars, though thankfully none seemed to be making their way over.

We needed to find a safe way back into the forest. Though the men stood between us and the banking down into the trees. We could use the cars though for cover and hide behind them until we manoeuvred around the group and to the barrier of the highway. That meant getting _out _of the car we were in though. I licked my lips and knew we had to move now.

"Sophia." I breathed, barely a noise. "Darling, we're going to have to try get back to the forest."

"Okay." Came a timid whisper. I was quite glad she wasn't the sort of kid who asked lots of questions.

"So, what we're going to do is get out the car - _very quietly - _and we're going to make our way to the back of it." I told her in a rushed, but still quiet tone.

"What if they hear us?" Sophia asked. It was a definite risk, I didn't need to tell her that. I thought for a moment, before turning my attention back to the men and trying to catch in onto their conversations.

"-heard some of the ammo went missing." It was another familiar voice, one of the men I knew once before.

"Food has too." Another voice. "Though, I hear it's been happening quite a lot. You reckon it's one of the women?"

"I think the Boss thinks so. Blondie, he reckoned. Could hear the bitch screaming from my tent when he was dealing out her punishment." The first voice drawled. There was a malicious chuckle.

"Noisy bitch needs to learn how to keep it down." The second observed in a sickly calm tone.

"She won't be making anymore noise anymore, don't you worry." The first chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Laurent's voice cut in. The laughter seized and I made a quick glance around to see where the group were at. There were none particularly too close and I turned to the door to try and pry it open quietly.

"We were just discussing the women, and how there is a lack of." The first of the two voices stated in a cocky tone. "We were down to only five after Ruby decided to leave. Four after last night's fiasco." There was a moment of silence.

"Speaking of Ruby though, Laurent," The second began. I remembered these two from the group; always together and always smug and cocky. John and Adam were their names, brothers if I remembered correctly. "I hear the Boss was a little pissed at her sudden disappearance, wanted to go after her and teach her a lesson in wronging him."

"And I also heard that you convinced him not to. That _you _would take care of it."

"I suggest you bastards keep your nose out of _my _business and finish your orders." Laurent hissed in a dangerous tone. I edged up to see Laurent's dark, emotionless expression sizing up Adam and John before him. They looked scrawny enough and I knew that Laurent would be happy enough to take them both on.

"We got some visitors, boys!" A voice cried in the distance. I ducked down as the three in discussion closest whipped their heads in the direction of the call and their was a clutter of shouting before a gun shot was heard.

_This was our chance. _

I pried open the door and crawled out onto the road, dragging my bag with me, before kicking the door shut. I hauled myself backwards before opening the back door. Sophia and Toby turned to me and I gestured for them to hurry. Toby launched himself out, whilst Sophia crawled after him. I took her hand in mine and we made our way around the back of the car.

Gun shots were echoing now, being fired left, right and centre. I pulled myself up to a crouch and glanced at the scene, before realising it was safe to stand.

The group of men had their backs to us, the attention focusing mainly on the oncoming herd of the dead that were making their way towards them. The dead were dropping like flies as the men took them out easily, though I knew their rapid gun shots would make an echoing noise for more to hear.

"C'mon." I muttered. "We go now."

We didn't waste any time in running and when we finally reached the barrier, Toby launched himself over and was down the banking to wait for us at the bottom. I jumped over first, before helping Sophia over.

I paused before moving, turning to the group of men on the highway. My eyes wandered to the car with the painted on windscreen and I knew that once the group were back to looting, they would find the message and I knew that couldn't be a good thing.

One of the scrawnier of the men was trying to be too cocky and I watched in horror as a _walker _came up behind him and sunk it's teeth into his neck before he even knew it was there. I swallowed hard, recognising his face. Joseph his name was. I knew it was time to go.

Before Sophia and I scrambled down the hill after Toby, Laurent looked around, after taking out one of the dead with the blunt of his weapon. I wasn't sure what made him look, but he did, and his eyes made contact with mine. He stared at me for a long moment, with eyes of surprise, before his gaze followed down to Sophia. I couldn't place the look on his face then, I didn't want to.

"Go." I urged, nudging Sophia gently. She complied and I turned back to Laurent when she reached the bottom safely.

"Ruby." He called, and made a move as if to come towards me. I took a step back and shook my head. Before giving him one last glare, then retreating down the hill to the other two. I took Sophia's hand in mine and we charged off into the woods again.

Leaving the highway and rain of gunshots behind us.

* * *

"Take the next right." A scrawny looking boy by the name of Joseph informed us.

He had been the one to greet us and shook hands with Laurent like he was a long lost friend. When he turned to my sister and I, he appeared to size us up before nodding his approval in a sickening manner, which didn't go down very well with us. Laurent told us to hush up and we made room for Joseph in the truck so he could direct us to his - _our _- camp.

"'Fraid, we got rules about pets in camp." Joseph informed us, his eyes glancing nervously at Toby at my side. "We ain't got enough to feed him so you'll have to ration your food for him too." He paused and met my eyes, smiling thinly. "Or you could just put a bullet through his head now so we got us a nice meaty supper."

"You touch the dog, and I'll break your arm." I muttered, glaring at the boy to reinforce my statement. Joseph held up his hands in surrender.

"Just a suggestion."

The camp was made up of a gathering of tents and vehicles, residing inside a large, high fenced field. When Laurent drove into the camp, men were waiting at the entrance and closed and locked the gates behind us. I began to feel like we were inside a prison but said nothing of it. Joseph told Laurent were to park and the four of us, and Toby, got out.

"Women sleep over there." The kid pointed to a small cluster of tents. "Boss said he only needs to talk to you so the ladies can go get themselves settled in." Jessica seemed pleased and beamed at the scrawny boy.

"Thank you." Laurent grumbled, heaving the bags out the back of the truck and handing our bags to us. "We brought us some food from the gas station we were staying in. Suppose a small thank you." Joseph smiled warmly and nodded.

"The ladies can take it. The women do all the chores." I raised an eyebrow at this and glanced sideways at my sister. She met my eyes briefly and I accepted the next back Laurent held out to me. "I'll take you to the boss now." Laurent smiled and turned to Jessica and I.

"Go get yourselves settled in and rested. I'll be around to see you later." He told us. We both nodded and trundled away, towards the tents Joseph had pointed out.

There was a dark skinned woman sat by the fire in front of the semi-circle of tents. She didn't look up as we made our way over, nor did she acknowledge us as we stopped beside her.

"Excuse me?" Jessica urged. The woman made no move and my sister and I glanced at each other. Just then, a blond woman walked over to us.

"Hello," She said, somewhat nervously. Her eyes wandered down to the dog between us before she raised her eyes again. She forced a smile. "Suppose you're the people Joseph found. I'm Claire."

"I'm Ruby and this is my sister-"

"Jessica." My sister cut in, holding out her hand for the woman to shake, an overly keen smile on her face. Claire had a soft face, though the various wrinkles were a tell-tale of her age. Her body was thin and frail and it seemed that one touch would break her. Claire took one look at my sister's hand and made no move to take it.

"We don't have enough room to accommodate everyone comfortably, so I hope you two don't mind sharing." Claire stuttered after Jessica let her hand fall to her side.

"That's fine." I nodded, attempting to smile at the woman to show her some ease.

"Is it just the two of you?" Her eyes darted between us. I had to admit, though the woman didn't appear a threat, her behaviour seemed downright weird. I held my tongue though.

"And our friend. He's talking to whoever's in charge around here now." I replied. I watched as Claire's face paled slightly before she nodded once. A thin, forced smile appeared on her lips.

"Come with me then."

With that, Claire turned on her heels and began to move towards the tents. Jessica followed without a word, Toby content with following her. I hung back for a moment, glancing at the woman by the fire, uneasy at her stare; it seemed empty and distant as she gazed into the flames. I swallowed hard and made a move to follow the others. I glanced back only once when I swore I heard the dark-skinned woman by the fire say something, though when I turned back she had not moved and I guess I could have been wrong. Perhaps I had just imagined words that I seemingly thought had come out of her unmoving mouth?

_They do not know._

* * *

"Sophia, slow down." I cried, completely confused on how she had outrun me or even had so much energy. The little girl didn't hold up though, and continued weaving in and out through the trees, running without meaning.

She suddenly though fell out of my view and my heart stopped for a moment when I heard her yelp. It was the following _splash _that made me realise we had reached the river. I ran forward quickly, stopping at the banking to find Sophia in the water, attempting to get to her feet. I jumped in quickly to help her up.

"C'mon." I muttered. "We can probably rest in the undergrowth for a while to catch our breath. The water might give us a bit of cover for noise and perhaps smell."

I held Sophia's thin arm in my hand and waded through the water towards where the long grass hung over the river in a twisted-vine hide-out. Sophia crouched down and crawled inside, settling herself down on a small bit of the banking, her legs mostly in the water. Toby followed suit, though looked a considerable amount unhappier about having to remain wet.

"Who were those people?" Sophia breathed after a long moment of silence. I swallowed hard, glancing down at the girl who stared back with wide eyes. "Do you know them? They mentioned a 'Ruby', is that you? Why did you make us hide from them?" I thought long and hard for a moment before answering the little girl's questions.

"Yes, I knew them." I replied in a hoarse tone. "They used to be _my _group." Sophia's eyes raised in shock and she turned her body completely towards me, seemingly immersed in what I was telling her.

"Why are you not with them anymore?" She persisted.

"Because they're bad people, Sophia." I whispered, not wanting to share with this innocent girl all the sins and devilish acts I had seen in my time with those people.

"Is your sister with them?" I was surprised for a moment she remembered Jessica, but I nodded before I could stop myself. "But if they're bad, why is she still with them?" A clever girl, I noted.

"Because she believes they can protect her from the dead." I sighed, running a hand through my hair, urging myself not to overwhelm Sophia with anything. Urging myself not to cry. "She's in denial about how _bad _those people are and would not listen to me when I tried to reason with her. She chose them over her own sister and for that reason, Sophia, I have not gone looking for her."

"What have those people done?" Sophia asked. I knew when I looked at her face that I could not continue. I shook my head once, and forced a smile.

"Enough of them, darling." I said. "We need to think about where we're going to look for your momma next." Sophia's face instantly changed at the reminder of why we were on the highway in the first place.

"They left a sign for me." She whispered. "They'll be going back to the highway, what if those people are still there?" Her expression became urgent and I was taken back by the look of true dependence on her face as she turned to me.

How I had gotten myself into the situation of looking after a twelve year old girl, I did not know. I had never really had much interaction with children before, asides maybe a friend's child or distant cousin of some description, but nothing like the situation I was in now. For all intents and purpose, _I _was Sophia's guardian for the time being. _I _was the one who had to keep her safe. And that thought and responsibility was daunting.

A little voice inside my head, nagged at me. Demanding that I should just ditch her and let her find her group herself. I had unintentionally let my trust fall into this little girl, even after I had vowed never to trust again. Everyone I had cared about had either died or betrayed me and I knew that caring about someone too much meant that they would follow one of the outcomes.

But there was something about Sophia. Something so blissful and innocent and _trusting. _Maybe it was the fact she was just a little child, or maybe because my sole contact over the past few months had been a weirdly smart and adaptive dog who couldn't quite hold his end of the conversation. Or maybe it was her unconditioned loyalty and trust.

I did not know. All I truly knew was that, for some reason, I was determined to find Sophia's family. For _her. _Because Sophia was someone I could _trust _and someone who didn't deserve to end up alone and bitter.

_Like me._

* * *

There were six other women in the camp, myself and Jessica bringing the numbers up. Claire introduced us to an elderly lady, who seemed Chinese or perhaps Korean. She was merely Bo and her welcome was much more warmer than Claire's hesitant and downright strange one. Bo smiled at the pair of us, fussed over us like a mother before Claire insisted that we should leave her to finish sewing the men's clothes.

We were then introduced to a young girl, no more than sixteen years of age, who seemed to be scared witless at everything that moved. She acted much like Claire had done at first, though stuttered over her words and looked like she would practically burst with tears. Her name was Sarah.

When Claire ushered us away, she told us that Sarah was just emotional and that we should not mind her. I couldn't help but feel as if Claire's words did not reassurance.

The next two women who we were introduced to were Elizabeth and Molly. Best friends they seemed to be. Maybe in the previous life, or were just adapting to this new one, I did not know, but their welcoming was equally as warm as the elderly Bo, so I didn't mind.

"What about her?" Jessica asked, nodding to the woman who still remained by the fire and who had appeared not to have moved at all. Claire glanced at her before shaking her head once.

"She doesn't particularly talk to anyone. We've tried talking to her, but we get silence." She shrugged uncharacteristically. "Elizabeth and Molly say they've heard her talk to herself, they think she's planning something." Claire swallowed hard, her eyes lingering on the woman before darting back to us.

"Perhaps she's planning a break-out." I muttered, watching as Claire's eyes widened and she seemed to pale again. She opened her mouth to speak, but stuttered over her words. That was the reaction I was expecting and I narrowed my eyes slightly, making a mental note to bring this all up with Laurent when he finished talking to 'The Boss'.

"Perhaps." Claire agreed, chuckling nervously. Jessica met my eyes and I was glad the unease wasn't just felt by me.

"What's her name?" I probed, gathering a sense of mystery from this woman. Claire thought for a few moments and I raised my eyebrow in question.

"Michonne." She replied after a long moment. She nodded as if confirming it with herself. "Terribly unusual name." The silence dragged on again and I swore for a few moment's that Michonne's gaze looked up from the fire and held mine, with a look that made me feel uncertain. Claire broke the silence though before I could think anything of it. "Let's show you to where you'll be staying now."

And with that Claire turned and walked away, Jessica following after her after a moment of hesitation. I gazed at the woman by the fire for one last moment before following the others.

"_And you trust them?" I demanded. _

"_They've given me no reason not to." Laurent shrugged, not meeting my gaze. _

I remained suspicious.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Apologises it's taken me a while to update. I've been very busy indeed! Though I finished reading the Walking Dead comics, well half of them. I would recommend them to all who have not read them! _

_Little bit hesitant about introducing Michonne into this and in all honesty I didn't plan to. After reading the comics though, I fell in love with her, so I just had to write her in. Hopefully you won't all hate me for it! _

_What are your views on this chapter then? You liking the introduction of the other camp? What about Michonne? I'd also love to know your ideas about how you want Ruby and Sophia to catch up with Rick and the others. I had a vague idea, but I'd like to see what you guys would want! Thank you so much for the reviews, please keep them coming! _


	6. Chapter Five

_Chapter Five_

After deciding that we had hidden long enough and that we had to get moving, we ventured back out into the forest, our clothes drenched though we didn't care. Toby remained ahead of us as usual and my suspicions that the gun fire would attract attention was confirmed.

We passed many walkers (I was beginning to use Sophia's phrase now as appose to _dead - _Sophia said it sounded nicer) but I decided that I had no energy to try and dispatch any of them. We hid in the undergrowth or behind trees as they passed by and then got moving again quickly.

Though I knew that we needed to camp and figure out our next move as well as getting something to eat. The house we had stayed in was out of bounds; Laurent had seen me so no doubt would double back there to check on me, question me. He had seen Sophia now, so I could not risk him finding us again.

We settled for a thick branched tree whose roots and lower bark was conveniently covered by bushes for Toby's contentment. As we stood at the bottom, I stared up at the tree, picking out branches that seemed suitable for Sophia and I to sleep on and once it deemed my approval, hoisted Sophia up.

She seemed to enjoy climbing, yapping away as she made her way up about stories about when she was little. I smiled fondly and listened, following her up after feeding Toby and making sure he was hidden. She told me stories about the large tree in her back garden which she used to climb up when her parents were fighting. Her father refused to build her a tree house like all the other kids had, so she settled for the uncomfortable, bumpy branches on that beloved tree which she had calved her name into once.

I hung the bags safely nearby then leaned back against the bark to get comfortable. Sophia was on the branch beside me, mirroring my posture and humming to herself quietly. She seemed a lot chipper than expected. I voiced this to her.

"I'm happy because I know I'm going to see my momma again." She told me, her voice so full of earnest. She stared at me with a big smile and I raised an eyebrow at her in question. "We'll find her, I know we will. And I know you'll protect me and keep me safe. You're nice, my momma will like you." I smiled slightly and ignored the soft impact her words had on me.

"How about you tell me about your group, Sophia." I urged, glancing down to give the ground a once over and see Toby playing contently with a rock between his paws. "Better know what I'm letting myself in for, huh." I grinned when Sophia smiled at me and I watched as her's eyes lit up at the prospect of her talking about those close to her.

"Well, there's my momma who I've told you lots about." Sophia began, ripping apart a leaf she had tugged from our home for the night. I decided quickly that a snack was in order for this tale and pulled out some dried cereal, chocolate, biscuits and two bottles of water. I halved it all with Sophia then handed her one of the bottles.

"And from what I've heard, she sounds like the best momma in the world." I encouraged the smile on her face and she nodded frantically.

"She is." She told me firmly. "Then there's Mr Grimes. He's a sheriff - well, he used to be. Momma told me that Mr Grimes was in hospital when everything happened and Carl and his momma thought he was dead. But he survived though and he searched everywhere to find them." She smiled at this.

"So he's like Super Dad?" I murmured. Sophia giggled and nodded.

"I wish I had a dad like him." I noted that she had said this before, but this time her face was a lot more cheerful. She paused for a moment, contemplating something before continuing on. "Then there's Mrs Grimes, Carl's momma. She's nice. She bosses Carl around a lot, but she helps me with my school work." I paused for a moment.

"School work?"

"Momma and Mrs Grimes want me and Carl to keep up with it now we don't go to school. Momma used to be a teacher before she met my dad, so she knows what to do. Plus, we don't get homework!"

"Lucky you!" I replied.

"I hate maths though."

"I used to love maths when I was a kid. All my friends use to hate it, but I couldn't quite see what was so bad about it." Sophia pulled a face at me that told me she agreed with my friends, I chuckled. "Never mind."

"Carl hates maths too, but they still make us do it." Sophia continued. "Carl's my best friend."

Sophia talked about Carl animatedly for longer than I had ever heard her speak before. She talked in vast tones about all the 'adventures' her and Carl had gotten up to in the short space of knowing each other and how she couldn't wait to see him again. I listened quietly beside her, interrupting occasional to add in my piece, but otherwise let the girl talk lovingly about her best friend.

"Then there's Mr Dale." Sophia suddenly piped up. I noted that so far we had covered four of her ten fellow group members and I rolled my head towards her to hear about the fifth. "He's old and he wears funny shirts. He's nice though and he sometimes talks to Carl and me. He's the one who owns the camper too. It's big, the camper, and it has a toilet. But it does smell a bit." I breathed a chuckle at this. "It breaks down a lot but usually Mr Dale and Glenn fix it."

"That's good." I put in, Sophia nodded. I sensed a sixth member to be introduced now.

"Glenn is the youngest, apart from me and Carl. He's fun and smart and always plays with us. He's really skinny too, Momma always tells him to eat more, but he doesn't listen. Momma still nags at him though."

"Your momma sounds like she has to take care of the entire camp." I chuckled. Sophia grinned.

"Mrs Grimes says that too. But she still does it." The same fond smile appeared on her lips again as she thought about her mother and I left her for a moment in bliss. "Then there's T-Dog."

"T-Dog?" I questioned. "You have someone in your camp called 'T-Dog'?" I smiled in amusement and Sophia giggled too.

"He won't tell me his real name, he says I'll laugh at it. He's fun, always making me and Carl laugh. He helps us out with our work too if we get stuck. He also gave us some cards too to play with. He said we could keep them." I watched as Sophia clutched her doll tightly to her. It was a wonder to me how she had held onto it for so long, but knew it must be something dear to her.

"T-Dog is quite a silly name though." I noted. Sophia agreed.

"Mr Shane was also a sheriff and was Mr Grimes' best friend. He was looking after Mrs Grimes and Carl for him when he was in hospital. I always thought Mr Shane was Carl's daddy, until Carl's real daddy came back. I saw him kiss Mrs Grimes once." I frowned for a moment, but didn't pass any judgement. "But Momma told me that you kiss your friends too, so Mr Shane must have been kissing Mrs Grimes because they were friends?" Her eyes turned to me and I was startled that she actually validated my opinion on the matter. I swallowed hard and thought about my answer carefully.

"He must have been." I nodded, knowing I shouldn't judge these people before I even met them, though vaguely began to sense something amongst them. It wasn't my place though. Sophia took my answer and seemed content by it and then proceeded to tell me about a woman called Andrea.

"She's pretty," Was how she began. "She had a sister called Amy back in Atlanta. But we got attacked by some walkers one night and Amy got hurt. Andrea had to-" She trailed off and I didn't force her to continue. I knew the implications and felt a little sympathy for this Andrea and wondered how heart-breaking it must have been for her. "My dad was hurt that night too." She sprung on me with a tone that scared me slightly. It was no caring, emotionless, and I had to stare at Sophia for a long time to try and process it all.

"Sophia, it's alright to be sad about your dad." I tried. Sophia shook her head and bowed it slightly.

"He hurt my momma." She managed before going into silence again. I opened my mouth to try and prompt her again, but she seemed to gather herself up after a few long moments of contemplation and she continued. "Andrea hasn't played with Carl and me since Amy died."

"I suppose she's still upset." I offered, feeling utterly useless. Sophia nodded though.

"Momma said that." She replied. There was silence again and I quickly scanned my brain for something to say to fill the heavy and sad aura that had fallen between us.

"That's nine then." I said, hoping my tone was light and encouraging. "One left." Sophia turned to me and stared at me for a long time before biting her lip.

"Mr Dixon rides a motorbike and hunts food for us. He brings back squirrels to eat and showed my momma how to skin and cook one. He also has a really big, scary crossbow which he uses to kill walkers and squirrels with. I've seen him argue with Mr Grimes and Mr Shane a lot. Sometimes he says things to T-Dog and Glenn, which Momma says isn't very nice. He never speaks to Carl, but Carl doesn't like him very much."

"And what about you?" I asked. She shrugged.

"He talks to my momma and me and he's never mean to us. He scares me sometimes though." She bit her lip again. "He used to have a brother and I didn't like _him. _He was always rude to everyone and said horrible things to my momma. Mr Dixon was meaner when his brother was around. But now he's gone, Mr Dixon is a lot quieter and sometimes nice." She shrugged again and I gathered that's all she wanted to talk about Mr Dixon for today. I nodded and smiled at the little girl.

"Your group sounds nice." I commented, earning myself a smile. "We'll go looking for them again tomorrow."

"Where will we look?" Sophia asked. I rummaged through the bigger bag before pulling out Laurent's map and laying it across my lap. I pointedly ignored the area marked red with a circle; _the other camp. _If Sophia noticed it, she didn't comment on it.

"There's lots of places we could look." I sighed. "There's a town quite far away, it will take a long time to walk to, but they might have gone there. I think, though, that we should scope around the nearby area before venturing out too far. They may only be holding up nearby, looking for you." I scanned the map before pointing at a spot. "This is a church, it's not too far away, and I think we should head there in the morning. It shouldn't take us long to get there and we'll see if they're holding up there. If not, then we'll have shelter whilst we plan where to go next."

Sophia was silent during my small speech and was staring down at the map with pursed lips. When I'd finished though, she pointed a slender finger to a spot on the map and looked up at me.

"Shouldn't we go back to the highway?" She asked. "They'll be coming back for me, to see if I'm there. Shouldn't we go there?" I licked my lips before replying.

"Darling, you saw what the highway was like. I can't risk running into that group again and I know for a fact that their gunfire would have attracted more walkers. It's too dangerous." Sophia frowned.

"But if they go back there to find me, isn't it dangerous for them too?" She demanded in a quivering tone. I sighed.

"Sophia, there's more of your group than there is of us. If there are walkers up there, all I have is a knife, a small handgun, a bat and a dog. I wouldn't be able to protect you if there's too many. Your friends will be able to look after themselves, whereas we _can't_." I tried to keep my voice soft and less frustrated as I explained this all to Sophia. She continued frowning, but nodded nonetheless.

"Where will we look if they're not at this church?" Sophia asked. I glanced down at the map, searching for any landmarks or noticeable places that we could look.

"I don't know." I replied, honestly. "Perhaps we'll see if we can find a road off the highway that they might have gone down. They can't do much off-roading with this camper of Mr Dale's. When we were at the highway, it seemed like the cars had been moved aside and from what you've told me it was for you all to be able to pass through with your vehicles." I sighed, running a hand through my hair and attempted to try think logically. "If they're not at the church, we'll follow the direction of the highway as it appears to be the direction they're heading in."

When I turned to Sophia, she was watching me and for a few seconds remained doing so before smiling fully.

"Thank you." She murmured, reaching over and giving me a somewhat awkward but warm hug. I froze for a moment, confused, before letting the girl adjust herself against me and I gathered she would remain like so for the rest of the night.

With a sigh of exhaustion, I leant my head back against the bark of the tree and let memories of the past fill my mind.

* * *

Laurent has an air of unease when he found Jessica and I that first evening. The pair of us were sharing a tent together and he settled himself in to ask us how things were. Though his expression seemed wary, his eyes darting, and his whole body just seemed tense.

"Whereabouts are you staying?" Jessica asked. Laurent pointed out of the flaps of the tent across the fenced off field that was now our home.

"I've got myself a tent down there. The Boss says he wants to use me for guarding the camp and patrols, says he needs my expertise. So, he's pitched me up nearby his." He muttered. I raised an eyebrow.

"Someone's a favourite." I noted. Laurent stared at me grimly.

"I've handed over all my weapons, he's let me keep a couple of rifles. He says that our timing couldn't be better, apparently they were running short on ammo and such." Laurent studied us both before sighing. "He asked me about you two, about your skills and your value." I raised an eyebrow at this. "I told him that you were both pretty handy with a gun, one more than the other." I smirked at Jessica at this, who rolled her eyes. "I told him you were _both _more than willing to help where you can, which he liked." He paused for a moment. "And I told him you were _unarmed._"

"But we've got-" Jessica began, frowning, and glancing at where she had laid down her chosen weapons from Laurent.

"I know." Laurent hissed. "But he'll take them off you if they find out, so you keep them in your tent."

"I have just carried a baseball bat across the camp, don't you think that counts as being _armed_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him again. He sighed and shrugged.

"If the Joseph kids says anything, then all I got to do is tell him you're an avid fan of baseball." Laurent muttered, smirking. I rolled my eyes. "But, listen to me when I say that you keep your weapons out of sight. Promise me that."

"We promise." We both murmured. He nodded in content, though his face changed again to display his uneasiness.

"Watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down at all and do the work they tell you to do. I mean it, girls. Whatever chore, whatever work, whatever shirt they want you to sew; you _do it. _No arguments for your own sake, please. I won't be able to watch your backs all the time."

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked. Laurent studied her and sighed.

"Just do what I say. I haven't saved your asses, given you my weapons, taught you how to shoot, lived with you in a shitty rundown gas station for Goddamn weeks to have you get yourselves _killed_."

The silence between us was eerie and judging by Laurent's face, that wasn't what he wanted to say. He stared between us for a few moments before sighing and running a hand through his thin, grey hair.

"We have protection here. Those fences will keep any of those bastards out and there is plenty of food and water to go around. We have _protection. _Please, just do as I say."

Unable to do anything else, we nodded dumbly and Laurent sighed again. With a 'goodnight' and another meaningful glance, he left and we watched his figure trundle across the campsite through the flaps of our tent. I had never felt more alone and confused than that moment. The silence between my sister and I was so full of questions that neither of us had the answer to. Jessica was the first to break it.

"What do you suppose he meant by getting ourselves killed?" She asked in a quietly, timid tone. One I only heard when I knew she was scared. I swallowed hard and tried to think of a substantial answer for my younger sibling that would bring her comfort. I couldn't think of one.

"I don't know."

* * *

"I don't think I've ever woken up in a tree before." I murmured, after waking up and nearly falling out of said tree. My companion was already awake and smiling. She giggled at my drowsiness then pointed down to the ground. When I glanced down, I made out Toby's shape between the thick bushes, scratching his ear with his foot.

"He's been doing that for ages now." Sophia commented with another giggle.

"It must be one hell of an itch." I nodded, breathing a laugh before rummaging through my bag for something Sophia and I could eat for breakfast.

After eating and deciding we had hung out in the tree long enough, we carefully made out way down to Toby. I went first, scoping the immediate area before helping Sophia down. She went straight to the German Shepherd and began to avidly scratch his ear and I couldn't help but chuckle as Toby leaned into her touch and hummed with satisfaction.

I checked the map once over, it taking a lot longer to gather our bearings being completely out in the open, but soon we had a direction and we set off in our little group towards the church. I wasn't sure what to expect when we reached this church or if there would even be a chance they were there in the first place, but we had to try something and it was a no go on the highway after yesterday.

Toby took the lead as always and Sophia remained by my side, her hand in mine and her voice at a quiet chatter. My attention was shared between whatever Sophia was talking about to the area around us. I scoped and I talked. Turns out women are good multi-taskers.

My mind wandered every once and a while, curious about the girl beside me and the group we were looking for. After Sophia has described them all, I felt a little more at ease knowing at least their names. Sophia was certain that we would find them and that small amount of trust she gave to me, made me feel sky high and convinced myself that we would find her friends and mother.

I had spent three days with this little girl. Four days previous I was ready to put a bullet through my brain and end the madness of the world, but then Sophia literally ran into my life and I almost had purpose now.

Jessica was deluded with thoughts that didn't make sense to me. No matter how much I had tried. To her, I was most likely dead. I still cared for her and knew that in some twisted way she was safe as long as she was careful. Laurent would protect her and it's all I could conclude from her now. She's alive, she's with Laurent. That's enough.

Without my sister or Laurent, I remembered the overbearing loneliness that had been thrust upon me as I ran away into the world with only Toby. I didn't have any reason to continue, I was merely existing and surviving.

Now though, I was _protecting. _I was _searching. _I was _caring._

* * *

_(Author's Note): I realise that you're all probably wanting Ruby and Sophia to catch up with the others already, and I'm sorry that it seems to be taking a while! I'm not very good and jumping straight into things, so I'm afraid it's just these guys for a little longer. I'm still trying to bring in the best moment for them to catch up with them and how they are actually going to. Your suggestions are still welcomed! Please bear with me! _

_And I'd like to know what you think of Sophia's description of the group. Obviously it's not very detailed, but she's only twelve! Do you think they're somewhat accurate or what you think Sophia would think about them? _

_Thank you so much for you reviews, you're all awesome and I'm glad everyone seemed to respond fine with Michonne's introduction. I was hesitant to bring her in, but I couldn't resist. I suspect she may be a big player in it all and hopefully I can do her justice! Thanks again, and I shall update soon! _


	7. Chapter Six

_Chapter Six_

_Washing. Cleaning. Sewing. Cooking. Washing. Cleaning. Sewing. Cooking._

It was a painful routine which Jessica and I had to slowly adapt to. The first few weeks were a hesitant time. I was constantly aware of the looks I got from others, though heeded to Laurent's warning and refrained myself from snapping at anyone. Jessica had withdrawn into herself and barely spoke a word through the day and if so, it was usually to myself. I was worried about her, but I didn't like to pry with her. Doing so usually just made her angry.

The camp had almost made itself into it's own little community. The men did all the hard work and kept everyone _safe _whilst the women did the domestic stuff. It wasn't until we were at the camp a month when I realised that we women were used for _other _duties as well.

I was sat by the fire after dinner one evening, washing up the vast amount of dishes in the battered tin bath we used for this job. I had just finished boiling some water and knew I had a long night ahead of me cleaning, though kept my head down and got to it.

Michonne was the only other women close by, apparently sewing a shirt and avoiding all eye contact I tried to get from her. She had kept to herself since our arrival, never speaking a word to me, though I felt like we had a silent agreement. Some of our duties were combined and though there was _never_ any words between us, there felt like there was a mutual understanding and the dark, mysterious women didn't scare me like she did Jessica. She would give me the merest of head nods at the start of every day - _acknowledgement_ - and then silence would ensue.

Toby lay by my side, content with half of my meal for his dinner. I had heeded to Scrawny Joseph's words and complied with sharing my food with Toby. Though it wasn't without consequences. The food was rationed already amongst us, with only half a portion a day I had lost a considerable amount of weight. So much, even Laurent was starting to give me worried glances and even leave some of his own portion for myself.

Jessica and I barely saw Laurent and when we did, he was usually followed by a few cronies. 'The Boss' had taken a shine to Laurent and he was involved in a lot of work involving protecting the camp and going out on supply missions. I wasn't sure what to make of all this attention Laurent suddenly got, but didn't voice it to anyone. I was more curious about the infamous 'Boss' who I hadn't seen so much of yet. Whenever I asked the other women about him, they would tell me he didn't bother talking to us women very often, preferring to keep command with the men.

Whenever I asked someone about him, they would give me vague answers. I hated the ambiguity of the camp and didn't like the air of uncertainty there was. Laurent said we had _protection _here, though with all these mysteries I wondered if there something else going on within the camp itself.

"I've never seen someone think so hard." A voice cut through me like a knife, startling me and bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked up from my work, expecting one of the men as the voice sounded quite deep but only saw Michonne sat across from me. I was about to blame the voice on my imagination when the dark-skinned woman looked up and _met _my gaze. I was taken back by the serenity of the gaze, the endlessly dark orbs that had me transfixed for a few moments. Michonne's lips pursed and she raised a perfect eyebrow and I realised that she probably expected me to speak.

"I've got lots to think about." I replied in an attempt of a strong tone. Now I had _more _to think about. Michonne's expression didn't waver and she seemed to calculate me quietly for a few long moments before turning back to her work. I was startled by this sudden intermission, that I remained inactive with wonder.

"Over-thinking things can be dangerous." Michonne stated coolly. Her hands moved effortlessly and with meaning. I quickly restarted my brain and got back to my own work, though my main attention was focused on the woman across from me.

"Not as dangerous as the dead trying to eat us." I retorted, hoping that my tone was light enough not to offend. Michonne didn't even pause or flinch, merely shrugged. When the silence dragged out longer, I decided that I _needed_ to continue this conversation. "I'm Ruby by the way, I never really got to introduce myself."

"I know who you are." She replied. "And I suspect you know who I am too."

"Michonne's a curious name." I tried, attempting to smile when she raised her gaze to mine again. She didn't return it, but I considered it a triumph that she was even talking to me in the first place. "How did you come about this camp?" To this, Michonne snorted.

"Same as everybody else." I didn't miss the tone of bitterness in her voice. Her teeth were clenched hard I noticed, almost snarl like, but I didn't comment on it. "Was passing through when I came across this place. Came for food and shelter, haven't left since."

"Have you wanted to leave?" I asked, quietly. The question must have struck hard as Michonne raised her gaze again and stared at me defiantly. Silence passed between us for what seemed to be a long time before a somewhat cruel smile pricked the corner of Michonne's mouth up. The smile gaze me no ease.

"I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that you don't know." She stated suddenly.

"Know _what_?" I demanded. Michonne didn't reply, her gaze wandered away and towards something over my shoulder. It was Toby's murmur of a growl that made me look. I glanced behind me to see a couple of figures walking towards us. When I looked back towards Michonne, she was back to her work, her gaze down.

John and Adam stopped by the camp fire Michonne and I were working beside. Neither of us reacted at their presence and I kept my head down to avoid their stares. Toby's ears were pricked up and his attention was focused on the men. I saw the subtle traces of a snarl on his snout and swallowed the lump in my throat down hard.

"You ladies look busy." One commented, I think John.

I hesitantly glanced at Michonne, who was pointedly back to ignoring the world again. I bit back a sigh and raised my head. The pair were smirking down at me. I nodded once in attempt of acknowledgement, hoping they'd go away. I didn't like the unease when the men wandered over to our little section of camp.

"John and I thought we'd come and say hello." Evidently Adam told us. "We were hoping for a little _fun _tonight actually."

My hands actually froze in my work as the implications hit me hard. My throat constricted for a moment and I swallowed down hard again, now completely avoiding the pair's gaze and focusing on my work.

"We can provide you _no_ fun tonight." Michonne's voice picked up suddenly. I glanced over to see the dark-skinned woman, still looking down at her work, but clearly addressing the two men. "We have work to do, and I suggest if you want it done, you'll leave us alone."

The silence was thick for a few moments and I expected a tragedy to follow after Michonne's cold words. But all that ensued was a few chuckles from the brothers.

"The woman speaks sense, John." Adam chuckled. "_These_ two are far too busy."

"We'll have to query one of the other women." John concluded with a chuckle of his own. "We'll be seeing you two _later _though."

I glanced up just in time to see him wink before they scurried away towards the tents. Nothing was spoken between Michonne and I for a few moments. I stared after the men, wondering what on earth was going to happen as they entered one of the tents - it was too dark to tell which one.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't say anything." Michonne muttered harshly. She was staring at me intently now. "When they came back out, we're going to ignore them. We're going to continue with our work and _ignore them._"

"You can't tell me what to do." I hissed unconsciously. Michonne smirked.

"No, I can't. But if you want to be left _alone _you will listen to _me._" My reply was cut off by a strangled cry from within the tent the men had entered. Toby was up on his feet, though didn't move. I gently patted the dog, though my hands quivered slightly.

A few short moments after and the tent flap opened and _three _figures came out of it - one being practically dragged. My eyes widened in horror as I saw the dragged figure was sixteen year old Sarah, who was sobbing and attempting to scream. She probably would have if one of the men - Adam - hadn't constricted her cries with his hand. I turned to Michonne, expecting her to do something, say something, but her head was bowed and her hands were back to work.

"Please!" Sarah cried through a hand and her tears. "Please don't!" The men's laughter was sickening and rippled through me.

"Don't worry, darling, it'll all be over soon. It's just a bit of _fun._" John taunted. He gazed at Michonne and I, eyes landing on me with a daring eyebrow raise. None of the other girls had come out at the commotion - no one had come to _help. _Not even my own sister who I knew was resting in our shared tent. Surely she would hear Sarah's muffled, but loud enough, cries?

"Please!" Sarah sobbed. I was frozen and watched in horror as the frightened young girl turned her gaze to me and her eyes widened. The next words that followed struck me hard. "Ruby! Ruby, please help me! Please!" She was begging for help - _my help_. My stomach fell sick and I knew I must have physically paled.

"Stop." The words came out my mouth before I could stop myself and out of the corner of my eye I saw Michonne's hands stop working and her head raise. John turned to me and I saw his smirk gone, a snarl on his lips now. Adam held the young girl to him, one hand to her mouth, the other running sickeningly down her small body in a way that made me visibly flinch and Sarah squeal some more. "Don't, please." Suddenly John's face was in mine and his hands ripped at my hair, pulling me to my feet.

"What did you just say?" He hissed. He didn't get any further as Toby's teeth sunk into his leg and John let out a yelp before letting go of my hair. He shrugged Toby off roughly, not before the dog clenched his jaw harder - surely drawing blood, before sending his boot in my dog's direction forcefully. Toby let out a whimper as it connected with his face and John smirked in triumph, turning his gaze back to me. I attempted to stand my ground. "You wanna repeat what you just said, huh?"

"Don't hurt her." I tried, seeing Sarah struggle behind John's figure. The silence that lapsed afterwards was sickening and I watched as John's eyes grew darker.

Then, everything happened at once. One minute I was standing in front of John, my hands clenched by my sides with my fingernails digging painfully into my palms, the man in front of my practically seething. The next moment, John's heavy fist connected with my face with so much force I fell back and the agony that struck through me made me gasp. Blood layered my fingertips as I held my hand to my nose and I looked up just in time to see Sarah already halfway across the camp, having being dragged by Adam and John, their looming strides with meaning and a quick pace - eager for what they were going to do with her.

A hand grasped my shoulder and pulled me to my feet. When I saw who it belonged to I shrugged it off furiously. Michonne didn't even flinch or make out that my actions had affected her, merely held out a cloth and gestured to my face.

"You better clean that up or it'll only worry your sister." She told me, her voice scarily passive. I took the cloth attentively and Michonne walked away without another word. Sarah's cries echoed in my head and I turned back to where the three of them had gone to. "Don't go after her. It'll only make it worse." I turned to the dark-skinned woman, who was back to her work like nothing had happened _yet again_.

"How can you just let them take her like that?" I demanded. "You know what they're going to do to her! How could you?" Michonne met my eyes coolly.

"Because I'm not a fool. If I react it'll only make things worse for myself _and _Sarah." I stared with disbelief.

"I don't care what you think, I'm going after her." I turned, with all meaning to march over and save Sarah from those two _monsters. _Though my tracks were stopped when Michonne suddenly appeared in front of me, her expression turned down to a scowl and a long blade in her hand - pointing at my throat.

"You want to subdue yourself to the same fate as her?" Michonne hissed. "I've told you, if you go over there it'll make things _worse. _If you have a shred of intelligence then you will listen to _me. _The world is not the same anymore, humanity is not the same anymore, _we _are not the same. This camp isn't some fairy tale land where all the good is kept." She stepped closer, keeping her blade merely a breath away from my throat. I saw her jaw clench, her eyes piercing into mine, daring me to butt in. I remained silent. "I've watched you since you got here, observed you. You're a survivor, Ruby. But you're still holding onto all your emotions and dreams. There isn't any time for that anymore. You have the potential to live, you just have to stop being _stupid. _What you did tonight was _stupid. _Moral, yes, but stupid. Next time won't have to same results, you're lucky to come off with just a busted nose. Next time you will _ignore it. _Block it out and focus only on surviving. Otherwise you'll end up just the same as Sarah, a frightened little girl who isn't strong enough to fight-"

"She was _dragged _away by two men at least triple her size, how in God's name was she supposed to 'fight' them?" I cried. "She's just a child!"

"No, she's _weak._" Michonne retorted.

"And how would you react if they tried to drag you out of your tent and-" I trailed off, feeling the tears biting at my eyes and knowing that I should _do _something instead of arguing with some delusional prophet. _But what could I do? _

"I'd slit their throats before they could lay their hands on me." I don't know what startled me more, the content of what she said or the tone she said it in. I stared at her in silence for a few moments, not knowing what really to say or do. "What would _you _do?"

"I don't know."

"Wrong answer." Michonne lowered her blade, though I noticed she held it tightly and her gaze dared me to make a move past her. "What you should reply with is that you would take that heavy looking bat of yours and bash their disgusting brains out."

"Are you completely screwed in the head? Why the hell are we having this discussion when there's a sixteen year old girl getting _raped _at this very moment?"

"Because this is how the world is now!" Michonne cried. "You think this is just a one off occasion? You don't think that the men haven't wandered over here before looking for 'fun'? This is what I'm talking about! The world is _fucked _and this is our life now! Tonight is just the beginning and believe me when I tell you it's going to happen plenty more times. Now, I'm giving you advice from one survivor to another and if you ignore it then it's your own funeral, but I'm going to give you it anyway. _Forget it all. _Forget all the morals and justice and just focus on surviving. That's all there is to it now. No more fairy tales or happily ever afters. Just death and those hungry flesh-eating bastards beyond these fences."

"You're into all this deep crap, aren't you? Why do you care so much whether I live or die? You've made it pretty obvious you don't care about anyone else but yourself."

"I _don't_ care." Michonne shrugged. "Like I said, just advice from one survivor to another." She glanced over her shoulder towards the other side of camp before striding past me and back to the fire. The last look she gave me said it all; _make your choice. _

I was now given the opportunity to do the 'moral' thing. I could run now towards where they'd dragged Sarah away, I knew Michonne wouldn't stop me now. I could try and help her. Key work; _try_. What could I do, honestly? I didn't even know which tent Adam and John were in and I could be too late now anyway. Sarah's screams and sobs echoed through me and it made me sick. Michonne's words echoed beside them and I was conflicted.

I was unsure how long I was stood there before I moved -

- moved _towards_ the camp fire.

It was a decision that would change me. Whether it was for the better or worse, I didn't know. But as I turned my back on the other side of camp, I knew I had turned my back on Sarah and perhaps my morals.

I didn't return back to my work, like Michonne had done. I heeded Toby to follow me before dumping all the remaining dishes back into the tin bath and leaving it by the fire. _I'd do them in the morning_. Michonne was watching me with a unfathomable gaze and I clenched my teeth hard.

"You've made the right decision." She told me. I stared back at her, with a darkened expression that didn't faze her one bit.

"Fuck you." I hissed before stalking past her and towards my tent, closing the flap behind Toby and I and curling up in a ball beside the still form of my sister.

A long silence passed between us before I realised that Jessica's form was shaking and not from the cold. I tucked myself next to her, attempting to draw her close as I let her sob into me. Apparently Jessica had heard the commotion that night and had chosen to ignore it.

_Just like I had._

I didn't cry that night. Not even when I heard Sarah return, and could do nothing but listen to her defeated sobs drilling into me from her tent a few feet away.

No, I did _not_ cry.

* * *

There was a deserted graveyard outside the modern looking church. As the three of us wandered towards it carefully, I wondered briefly why there was a church so far out in the forest, as far as I knew there wasn't civilisation for at least a few miles and even that was a small town.

Sophia's steps were rushed and I had to urge her a few times to slow down incase something else other than her family was inside the church. She stopped when we reached the bottom of the steps and let me lead the way up.

The door was already ajar and I slowly opened it, my gun ready to shoot. I scanned the small church to find no sign of anyone and I felt my heart immediately drop. Toby pushed his way in past me and I opened the door further, making one last scope of the room before gesturing Sophia to follow me.

Her face dropped harder than my heart when she saw the empty church. She didn't say a word, but I must have become so accustomed to her expressions now to tell. I opened my mouth to saw something, only Toby's growling caught my attention. With my gun raised, I made my way towards where the dog stood. Only to find him stood beside a body lying in the middle of the aisle.

It was definitely a walker. No doubt about it. Though what I found odd was that it's head had already been dealt with, it was already _dead. _

"There's another one over here." Sophia's voice rang out. I glanced over my shoulder to find her stood by one of the pews and pointing to the floor. I saw the body she was gesturing to and glanced around to find one more body too. Three bodies and yet all were dead already. "This one is in a wedding dress." Sophia mused, glancing up at me. I walked over and stared down at the mangled body of what once was a woman.

"They're all dead." I stated obviously. "Someone has been here before us."

"Momma?" Sophia asked, hopefully. I mused it over for a few moments before sighing and nodding.

"Perhaps." I concluded, smiling down at the girl. "Looks to me like we're only one step behind them. We're bound to catch up sooner or later." Sophia gave me a large, tooth-filled grin and I took off my bags and set them down. "Now, we've got quite a few hours of day time left. We've got two choices; either we stay here for the night or we try and work out our next heading and try and get there before nightfall. Though that will include a lot of non-stop walking and the likelihood that we'll be sleeping in a tree again." Sophia chewed her lip in thought for a few moments before coming up with her answer.

"We carry on." Sophia stated.

"That was going to be my answer. I don't really like the idea of sleeping in a church." I looked around and Sophia giggled.

"Yeah, it's creepy."

We got out the map again and spent a considerable amount of time going over it. There was barely any landmarks nearby apart from a creek which would take a lot more of daytime than we had left to reach. After a lot of debate, and sulking on Sophia's behalf, it was decided that we would catch up with the river and follow it along to the creek on the map. Sophia said that water was a dire need for her group at the moment and so they'd be looking to refill at some point. If they were not at the creek, then we were only a bit away from the small town and could look there and possibly restock on supplies.

The creek was unreachable today, possibly tomorrow aswell, so I sensed a lot of sleeping in trees ahead of Sophia and I. The twelve year old was happy about that, I, myself, couldn't quite see the desire about it.

After packing up, we made our way out of the church and headed in our next direction. Sophia's bounce was back and I quickly muttered a small prayer before exiting the church after them both. I wondered briefly as our hike got under way, how much I actually believed the God anymore and if there was any point in praying. It seemed so pointless now.

Perhaps God had given up on humanity? _It sure as hell felt like it._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Alright, this chapter is a little depressing to say the least and I was really undecided about whether I should rewrite it or just post it. I decided on the latter. I realise that I may have made Ruby seem heartless now, and I hope some of you still like her! And I'd also like to know what you thought of Michonne. I'm not sure I've done her much justice, and if I haven't please say! _

_Time wise, I think in the show the time shifts a lot between episodes with Carl's recovery. I highly doubt it would take like four days from him to recover from being shot. So after this episode I may make time jump abit for Ruby and Sophia - to quicken things up for y'all! As for the creek, I think it's mentioned in the show by Daryl and between Rick and Hershal, but I'm not sure. It's FanFiction after all so if not, then I'm sure you'll forgive me! _

_Anyway, thank you for you reviews! Please leave one for this chapter and tell me what you think about Michonne and what happened to Sarah. Anyone's views on Ruby's old group now? Thanks again, and I'll try and update soon! _


	8. Chapter Seven

_Chapter Seven_

Sophia's energy astounded me. I was unaware someone so small could have so much exuberance and urge to go - though I guessed the need for her mother had something to do with it. She seemed to enjoy the hike much more than myself, often taking the lead with Toby, and even scoping out ahead a little.

I was hesitant at this, unsure if I wanted the girl too far away from me incase a walker passed by and I was too late to get to her. The reassuring presence of Toby eased me slightly, knowing that the dog wouldn't let any harm come to her. I kept an intense vigil though of the area, being extra careful now.

"I hear the river." Sophia called out, excitedly and I quickly jogged up to catch her. She curled her hand into mine and we made our way towards the river together.

"We keep following it and we should reach the creek some point tomorrow." I stated as we stood on the banking of the rushing river. "We should keep a look out for somewhere to sleep along the way and we'll make camp as soon as possible." Sophia nodded and we moved on.

"You know what I like about you?" Sophia mused after a good ten minutes of walking. My attention was divided between looking out for a suitable place to sleep and keeping an eye out for anything that wanted to kill us. At first I thought I had imagined Sophia's voice, but she was looking up at me with a smile and I raised an eyebrow in question. "You don't treat me like a child." I was stuck for words for a few moments.

"I don't?" Sophia shook her head. I hummed at this. "I haven't been around children in a while so I suspect my skills are a little rusty." I shrugged, Sophia smiled.

"When we find my momma and my group, are you going to stay?" Her eyes were round with wonder as she waited for my response. I genuinely had to think before I answered that one.

"I don't know." I replied, honestly. "I wouldn't want to intrude for starters, you can hardly expect them to take in a stranger."

"But you're not a stranger, you're Ruby!" Sophia said. "And you saved me. I won't let them make you leave." I smiled faintly at the firm tone of the little girl and didn't say anything else. "Do you want to stay with us?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today." I murmured, knowing I wouldn't hear the last of her questions either. Sophia shrugged and waited expectantly. I sighed deeply. "As you know, the last group I was with are bad people. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not hesitant and nervous about finding your group. I'm sure they're all lovely people, it's just my trust isn't what it used to be." Sophia was quiet for a long time.

"They're not bad people, I promise." Sophia breathed quietly, her voice soft and timid. "It's not nice to be alone out here and I don't want you to carry on being alone now." I stared down at the twelve year old and wondered how long she must have been running before I got to her. I couldn't imagine the fear she must have gone through all alone in the forest. Images of her frightened face when I found her still haunted me; they were a definite contrast to the smiley face I was use to now.

"We'll see, huh?" I squeezed her hand. "First lets focus on finding your family and deal with that part later." Sophia nodded and smiled before pointing to something ahead of us.

"That tree looks comfy."

* * *

Laurent questioned my broken nose. _I ignored him. _Michonne attempted to speak to me more during duties. _I ignored her. _At night, Sarah still cried herself to sleep and during the day she was merely a hollow shell, avoiding all eye or physical contact from anyone. _I ignored her. _

Merely a week after that night, and the men came back for more. This time they took Clare. I was on laundry duty at the point they came and could only watch from a distance as they dragged her away. Michonne was sat by the fire and kept her head bowed as usual. My sister was no where to be seen, which I was thankful of. When Clare returned, she wasn't crying like Sarah. Instead she busied herself with jobs and her duties, probably in an attempt to forget about what had happened.

The situation we were now in dawned on me and though I was taking Michonne's advice and ignoring it, my stomach still clenched with fear as figures of the men passed by our section of the camp. Most of the time, they were only passing by or even just to collect their clean clothes and such. But each time I froze in fear and kept my head down as if making eye contact would seclude my fate as their victim.

It was Jessica who I was more worried about though. She had caved in on herself after that night with Sarah, shutting pretty much everyone out; more so than she was doing before. I was worried, though slightly relived that she wasn't reacting rationally about our predicament. She was ignoring it, like me. _Perhaps she was a survivor too?_

The men's part of camp was somewhere I rarely ventured over to. But today I was collecting dirty clothes and so it was necessary. I bite the inside of my cheek and picked up the wicker basket, not before ignoring Michonne's pointedly gaze, and headed over with an attempt of a long, confident stride.

I was met with jeers and obnoxious remarks from the men, though I held my chin high and endured it. Smiling got me through it and potentially saved me from whatever they were hinting at with their vulgar words.

"Hey, laundry girl." A voice called. I turned around and saw a man I did not know walking towards me. The sneer on his face said it all and I silently dreaded leaving Toby back in my tent.

"Do you have anything for me to clean?" I asked, politely. He sniggered and stopped in front of me.

He was an older looking man who looked to have muscles, but were not as visible as some of the other men in camp. His face was thin and pointed, his nose curved at the tip and his lips turned up in a sickening grin. He had long, dark hair which appeared greasy and sleek in the sunlight. The clothes he was wearing were dark and military like and I held back the urge to roll me eyes at his formal stance. Instead I held my gaze and waited for a reply.

"You're Laurent's girl, aren't you?" He asked, ignoring my question. I swallowed before forcing a nod. I didn't like being referred to as 'Laurent's girl' but I was heeding to Michonne's warnings.

"One of them." I forced. His eyes trailed up and down me like Scrawny Joseph's had when we first arrived.

"Name." It was a demand, not a question.

"Ruby."

"The older one?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." He nodded once before smirking again. When he leant in, I smelt what could only be described as the stench of human flesh in his breath, something I blamed on the adjustment of the dead trying to hunt us. _But the stench was so strong. _"You be a good girl now, we wouldn't want anything to-" A pause. "Happen to you _or_ your sister." That was a threat if I've ever heard one.

With one last sickening smile, the man left me stood alone with the laundry basket held loosely in my arms. I swallowed hard again and debated retreating back to the women's section, though knew I had more laundry to collect. The consequences would be worse if I didn't get this done. I forced myself to carry on moving, trying to ignore the man's words and his _stench_.

I got it done quite quickly and I practically ran back to the women's camp, dumping the laundry down at Michonne's feet for her to do. She raised an eyebrow at me in question. I didn't answer, but instead sat myself down by the fire, running a hand through my hair.

"You seen something you shouldn't, Kid?" Michonne asked lightly. I chewed my lip in thought for a few moments before sighing.

"Just a horrible, horrible man." I muttered, breaking the long going silence that had drew out between the pair of us. Michonne chuckled dryly.

"Aren't they all?" She retorted. "Seems like all the good men are now trying to kill us." I breathed a laugh. Michonne studied me coolly for a few moments.

"How long have I been here?" She shrugged.

"A few weeks, maybe a month or more. Time isn't really much of an issue anymore, is it? You got places to be or something?" I shook my head numbly. Michonne snorted. "It would be better if you did. Right now, anywhere seems better than in here."

"Why don't you just leave?" I demanded, eyeing the woman carefully.

"I plan to." Her answer was simple and light again.

"Then why haven't you done it yet?"

"I'm waiting." The silence dragged on between us again and I frowned into the fire.

"Waiting for what?" Michonne's face lit up with a smirk and that was as good a answer I was getting. Her face was illuminated in the flicker of flames and I knew I wouldn't get a proper answer.

"Laurent was looking for you before." Michonne changed the subject abruptly. "And your sister."

"Good for him." I muttered. "Where is Jessica?" Michonne raised her eyes to mine and held them harshly. I suddenly felt uneasy. "_Where_ is my sister?" I demanded in a furious tone. Michonne said nothing and I all but growled at the woman.

I jumped to my feet and rushed to our shared tent, opening it to find only Toby occupying it. She was supposed to be _here. _My stomach dropped and my breathing became uneasy. My hands trembled as I backed away from the tent and rounded on Michonne - who had gotten to her feet now and was facing me.

"Where is she?" I breathed, my voice a stutter. Michonne tilted her head to the side, the implications saying it all. "When did they take her?" Michonne chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Actually by my judgement, _he _didn't _take _her. She went more than willingly."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Who is _he_?"

"The Boss."

* * *

The new tree wasn't as comfortable as the last, but we made do with it. Toby lay by the roots, content as always. Sophia was on a higher branch than me and occasionally would knock my own leg with her swinging one. After this, she would let our a giggle and I would roll my eyes into the darkness.

"Go to sleep." I sighed. More giggling. "If I have to come up there, then there will be trouble." My threat was drawling and tired. Sophia saw through it.

"I can climb higher than you." Was her giddy reply.

"And I have a gun." I regretted saying it immediately, but Sophia didn't seem to care. She just let out a series of more giggles before seizing all leg swinging. All was content for a few moments. Though of course, Sophia just _had _to break it.

"I can't wait to introduce Toby to Carl." She began. "He loves dogs and he'll love Toby."

"I'm sure Toby will be glad to have another friend. He's probably bored of my company after so long." I muttered in reply.

"How old are you, Ruby?" I chuckled at the abrupt subject change.

"Older than you."

"Well, duh!" I raised an eyebrow at her sass.

"Hey, cheeky!" Sophia giggled.

"You didn't tell me how old you are." She pointed out, matter-of-factly. I snorted.

"I know." I could practically imagine Sophia's pouting.

"Are you older than twenty?" She asked. I could sense the guessing game coming on and I smiled slightly.

"Yes, though I'm flattered that you think I could pass for twenty."

"I didn't say you _looked_ twenty, I asked if you were _older _than twenty." I visibly raised an eyebrow at her new level of cheekiness.

"Someone wants a smack." I murmured. Sophia giggled again.

"Twenty five?"

"Older."

"Thirty?"

"Older."

"Forty?"

"Are you seriously saying I could pass for forty?" I cried, distraught for a moment. _Perhaps my feminine stubbornness was coming through? _More excessive giggling.

"No, you look younger. Thirty five?"

"Younger; I'm thirty three."

"Thirty three?" I frowned at her surprise, unsure if I should offended. There was a pause before Sophia added as an afterthought; "You look younger." I snorted.

"Thanks, but thirty three is _still _young." I pointed out. I was hardly saying I was _sixty_ three!

"You're more than twice my age!" I actually forcefully laughed at that. The kid amused me a lot.

"And that makes me old, does it? I must say your maths is up to scratch though. It's a good thing your mother and Mrs Grimes are keeping up with your school work. Maths isn't so useless after all. " There was a pause from Sophia and I waited with a smirk on my face.

"_Shut up." _I had to grip onto the branch for laughing so much. Sophia joined in and I imagined what we must look; sat in a tree and laughing as the world around us had gone to _shit. _We must look _insane!_

* * *

I felt like a mother waiting for their child to come home after being at a party all night. I was sat in the middle of Jessica and my tent, Toby asleep beside me, facing the entrance and waiting for Jessica to return. When Michonne first told me that Jessica had gone off with 'The Boss', I was all but ready to search the entire camp looking for her. Michonne quickly calmed me down though, telling me that she was not forced out or dragged. She was _smiling _actually. I still felt sick with fear.

I was all but ready to drop off asleep when I heard the sound of footsteps nearing the tent. I swallowed hard, debating whether I should pretend to be asleep or stick to my guns. There wasn't really much time to decide as Jessica appeared between the flaps as she slipped herself in, zipping the tent up behind her. In the dark, I knew she was eyeing me carefully.

"Is there a reason you're still awake?" Jessica asked, drawing the words out slowly in a patronising way. What struck me was her calm nature, though I wasn't sure if I should be pleased or worried about that.

"Where have you been?" I shot back. Jessica froze in the middle of getting herself into bed for a brief moment, before she carried on rigidly.

"None of your business." She muttered, stubbornly. I glared at her silhouette.

"It _is _my business, now answer me." I hissed. Jessica snorted and blatantly ignored me. It was then that the smell hit me.

It was a strong odour of alcohol, dirt, sweat and _sex. _it stuck in my throat for a few moments as I calculated the situation. A familiar stench lingered too, but I couldn't quite place it. I swallowed down hard, before turning to face my sister, who had laid down in her makeshift bed.

"Did he force you?" I demanded.

"I told you, it's none of your business."

"Jessica, for God sake! _Did he?" _

"No!" She cried, making me flinch.

"Why?" I breathed. "Why did you-"

"Why did I what? You've never cared about my sex life before, so why do you now?" Jessica asked, harshly. "I wasn't forced into anything, I _chose _to do it. And guess what, I enjoyed it and I intend to do it again."

"Have you not seen what those men are doing to the other women?" I retorted, repulsed by my sister's words. "How can you willingly go with one of those _monsters _after what they've done? They don't care about you, Jessica! You're just some play thing to them!"

"You jealous that he picked me instead of you?"

"Aren't you the mature one." I hissed. "I'm telling Laurent."

"You'll do no such thing." Jessica sat up and I knew she was glaring at me. "Why don't you just fuck off and leave it alone? I don't need your help. I don't need Laurent's help. You think this is the first time I've slept with him? Jesus Ruby, it's been happening pretty much from the start and you haven't been any wiser. It isn't your business so butt out and fuck off." She collapsed back down and the silence dragged on, only the quiet breathing between us heard.

I hauled myself to my feet, ducking my head and unzipping the tent flap. Toby leapt out without even a request and I follow suit, zipping the tent up behind me and leaving my sister to wallow in her delusional glory.

The campfire was merely an amber of a flame and I wasn't surprised to find Michonne accompanying it.

"Don't you ever sleep?" I muttered, sitting myself beside her. She chuckled, patting Toby's head lightly as he sat down in front of us.

"I've been waiting for your sister to return; like you." She told me.

"Did you know that this wasn't the first time?" I demanded. She didn't reply, but that said it all. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"There's plenty of things I haven't told you, Ruby, about this camp. That was merely one of them." I met her gaze evenly again and sighed.

"What the fuck is going on?" I muttered. "Everything is going to shit and I don't know what to believe anymore." I glanced over my shoulder at the tents before angrily throwing a stick into the fire.

"You want something to believe? Then you listen to me." Michonne said simply.

"First start telling me what the hell is actually going on in this camp because I have a feeling that there's something much more fucked up going on around here." I replied, though I already knew my answer.

"No, I won't do that. You can find out like everyone else has had to. It's the only way you'll learn and realise what you need to do to survive." I chuckled dryly.

"And how long will that take?" I hissed. Michonne shrugged.

"Not long." She replied. There was a pause as Michonne glanced over her shoulder briefly and turned back to me. "Your sister had made the worst choice, I guess you know. I thought the pair of you were alike when you first arrived, but it turns out I'm wrong. _She's weak_. Jessica is much like the other women in this camp; she is stupid and foolish and weak."

"That's my sister you're talking about." I muttered, half-heartedly, my tone not having the same venom in it. Michonne sensed this and chuckled before continuing.

"She will become much more dependent on this camp than the others and that is _dangerous. _Anyone in their right mind would realise what she is doing is stupid, but like I've pointed out, she is a foolish girl. I can't tell you what to do with your sister now, Ruby. My advice would be to ignore it, but I sense that's something you would find difficult. I would not suggest telling Laurent, that would make her harder to retrieve. All I can solidly suggest is that you _pray." _I laughed.

"I'm not one for praying." I admitted with a sigh. "Were you some kind of wisdom counsellor in the old life or something? You seem keen on all this deep, meaningful speeches." Michonne chuckled again.

"I was a lawyer actually." I raised my eyebrow at the woman and snorted.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Quick update! Are you pleased? I've actually got the next chapter pretty much done aswell, just a few tweeks here and there - I've been a busy bee! But I'd like to see what you think of this chapter before I post the next (which I have a sneaky hint you'll all enjoy!). _

_I know that there may be a lot of action to take in when it comes to Ruby's old camp, but I guess that's the whole 'charm' to it all; charm being the wrong word. What does anyone think of Jessica's actions or Ruby's reactions to it? And for Ruby's age, she was actually supposed to be younger, but I thought that someone in their twenties was a little too young and so I boosted up her age. _

_Apologises for all the F-bombs in this chapter too. I'm not really one for swearing in fiction, but I guess this fandom is a little more mature than the others I've wrote for. If you think it's too much, I'll boost up the rating. :) _

_Thanks again for your reviews, I'd love to know what you think of the next installment. I should have the next one up as soon as possible! _


	9. Chapter Eight

_Chapter Eight_

We didn't reach the creek the next day. Even with a full day of hiking, and the occasional stops to avoid walkers and to rest, we didn't make it in the hours of daytime and settled for yet another tree. Sophia had taken to making monkey jokes now, and her high energy levels remained strong.

I soon though began to see the subtle and slow change in Sophia as the hiking continued. It was decided that I was rubbish with a map and had misjudged the distance from the church to the creek. Whilst I thought it would only take a day, maybe two at the most, in reality it was taking much longer.

When it reached a week after Sophia and my initial meeting, I could see the twelve year old beginning to lose hope. Time was maximised now and every hour seemed like a day, thus making the hiking so much worse. It didn't help that we were constantly in fear of those that hunted us and that fact our beds for the night were branches in a tree - which even Sophia was now becoming sick of.

We talked to keep the mood up, about anything and everything. And something and nothing. Sophia would tell me stories about her group and the times she had had with them. At first she was energetic in telling me, though as time grew wary, I knew the stories were just making the separation worse for Sophia. I attempted to tell more stories myself to keep Sophia's mood up, about my life before the dead rose which she seemed very interested in.

One week turned into two and I began to regret stating that it would only take two days to reach the creek. How could I misjudge the distance by over a week? It was surely a wonder how I had survived so long with my useless map skills. Sophia remained adamant to my mistake, not mentioning it at all, but constantly stating that we would 'find them soon'. I knew this was more for her own reassurance than mine.

It was just over two and a half weeks when things started looking _up. _

The banking of the river began to heighten and soon we were climbing up a hill, rather than an even surface. We continued to follow the river though, which we were now raising above. Soon thick bushes obscured our view, but we remained to the edge, intent of following it to the top. When we reached the top, it was a sure sight.

The creek was situated at the bottom of the steep hill, a great pool of water at the end of a sloped waterfall. The river trickled out and continued on through the thick of the forest, though we had found our destination now and had no need for it's guidance. The only trouble was that we were stood at the very top of the hill, whilst the creek and it's glistening pool were at the bottom. Sophia and I shared a glance.

"Well, this should be fun." I muttered.

It took us a while to safely reach the bottom and past half way, I knew I could conclude that Sophia's group was not here either. It angered me that after so long and we were left with nothing. Sophia's mood had picked up though and for that, my own did too.

When we reached the bottom, I swept the area before staring at the inviting pool.

"When was the last time you bathed, Sophia?" I asked, smiling at the girl. She grinned in return.

The water was too refreshing for words and cooling against my skin. The experience of the newfound water would have been more enjoyable if I wasn't on constant lookout for any unwanted visitors. Sophia scrubbed herself down quietly, knowing that too much noise would attract things nearby. Toby remained at the side of the pool, keeping vigil.

I changed into one of my only other change of clothes once we'd got out and gave Sophia the smaller sized ones to change into as well. They were far too big for her tiny frame, but she smiled warmly up at me in them even with the clothes hanging off her.

Once we were cleaned, fed and dried, it was time to work out what we were doing next. Ruefully, I pulled out the map and laid it out between us. I decided that I wouldn't be making any more time judgements any time soon.

"We could carry on following the river, maybe hoping they'll be along it somewhere. Or we could head back up the to the top again and head towards the small town I mentioned before." I looked up to Sophia, waiting for an answer.

"What do you want to do?" She asked. I was startled for a few moments.

"Um." I frowned, staring at the map and trying to judge which would be our better option. "I'd say head back up the hill and carry on towards the town. I think there's a higher chance we'll find them there." Sophia nodded.

"Lets do that then." I smiled slightly and rolled up the map, tucking it away and stuffing everything back into the backpacks again.

"You alright climbing this?" I asked, gesturing towards the painfully steep hill before us. Sophia nodded and grinned.

"I'll race you to the top." And with that, the girl scampered away and began her climb. I chuckled and followed her.

* * *

Jessica avoided me like something rotten. I was unaware I had actually done anything wrong and was so angered by her stubborn attitude, that I ignored her back. I had taken to spending the evenings by the campfire with Michonne and only returning back to our shared tent when I knew Jessica would be asleep. I was gone before she woke up in the morning too.

Laurent must have sensed something, though didn't voice anything at first. He finally cornered me after dinner time, a stern look on his face.

"You two had a fight or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I glared at him.

"Why do you care?" I retorted, bitterly.

"You know why, so just answer the God Damn question." He replied, just as bitterly.

"I'm sure you know all about her little midnight romps with 'The Boss'." I hissed, harshly. I had never seen Laurent shocked, but as the words left my mouth I saw the older man pale a considerable amount. "Or not." I muttered under my breath.

"When?" He demanded. I shrugged.

"Pretty much since we got here apparently." I told him. "I haven't even met the guy and she's shacking up with him like he's some sort of Saint. We, women, are used a playthings to be used whenever you men feel like it and she's willingly making herself a whore for them." Laurent didn't anything for a few moments.

"Have any of the men tried anything with _you_?" He asked, darkly. I shook my head.

"No." He relaxed a margin. "Have _you _tried anything with the women." Laurent scowled at me.

"You think I'm the kind of guy that's so twisted and sick to do that?" He demanded. I shrugged.

"I don't really know what to believe anymore." He studied me for a few moments in silence before sighing.

"I'm sorry for bringing us here. It was-" He paused to lick his lips. "It was a mistake."

"Why can't we just leave?" I cried, thankful that Laurent was seeing some sense. "We could just leave and escape this place. We could survive out there, we're capable!"

"We can't, Ruby." Laurent told me, in a defeated tone.

"Why not?"

"We just _can't._" I stared at him for a few moments, trying to decipher what he meant, but couldn't. I was sick of not knowing the truth. "Just carry on doing what you're doing. Whatever you're doing is keeping you _safe _and that's all that matters."

"And how long am I going to be safe?" I rounded back, watching as Laurent ran a hand through his hair in exhaustion.

"They won't touch you whilst I'm around." I snorted.

"No, but your almighty leader is screwing around with Jessica as he pleases." I hissed, making Laurent flinch and grind his teeth.

"Just be thankful that she's _willing." _He sighed. "She could be in a worse situation."

"Why would I be thankful for this nightmare we now live in?" I muttered under my breath as Laurent walked away.

* * *

_Sophia won_. She reached the top in record time, Toby at her heels. It was a wonder how a dog could climb the steep hill, but he did it. I followed afterwards, thoroughly out of breath. Sophia was grinning when she greeted me.

"Yeah, yeah, you beat me." I muttered, gently pushing Sophia and hoisting my bag up higher on my shoulder. "Let's get going and find somewhere to sleep."

"Yes, more climbing!" Sophia cried, a slight skip in her step, before she took my hand again and we walked at our content pace back through the forest.

I had known this girl barely under three weeks and the affection I felt towards her was stronger than I ever had done before. I couldn't remember what it was like to roam the forest without her content chatter by my side, her clammy hand in mine. We had our struggles and life wasn't without the constant danger, but apparently God was being kind to us and walkers barely crossed our paths anymore and if they did, we were elite at hiding.

I had never felt a stronger need to find Sophia's family, I couldn't imagine the pain they were going through without her, her mother especially. I knew they all must expect her to be dead - without over-doing myself, but Sophia would probably have not survived if I had not come across her all those weeks ago. And likewise, I probably would have shot myself if she had not come along; to end the nightmare. But she gave me purpose.

_We had kept each other alive. _And I knew, without a doubt, that that bond was strong.

I had thought over the possibilities for when we _did_ find her family - her innocent optimism had rubbed off on me. Sophia's question still stuck with me; would I remain with this group? If I was not wanted, then without a doubt, I would leave. But from what Sophia had said, these people were good. Though I wondered if I was ready to join another camp again after the evil-doings of my previous one. Though could I stay alone forever?

Trees were hardly scarce in the forest and we soon found one suitable and repeated the drilling process of scoping, climbing and settling on a sturdy looking branch. With one quick glance down at Toby, I saw he looked quite content as usual, and I hung our bags nearby.

"Oh no." Sophia's timid voice gasped. My head shot down, half expecting a dozen walkers, hungrily gazing up at us. But all I saw was Toby and I turned to Sophia with a questioning gaze. She looked deeply upset and stricken by something.

"What?" I asked, hesitantly. She turned to me, with a quivering lip.

"I left Eliza back at the creek." Her words were spoken from trembling lips, that threatened to break out into a sob and for a moment I was confused on what she was actually on about. Though it struck me quickly.

_Her doll. _

"Oh." I was all I could say, unsure about how to go about this.

"She was given to me by another girl, from our camp in Atlanta. She told me to look after it until we saw each other again. I was supposed to look after it." She rushed out quickly, her eyes frantic. Her hands clenched the branch she was on and I knew that was all but ready to jump down and run back to the creek. I stopped her with a steady hand.

"We'll go back in the morning." I reassured her, she shook her head.

"I can't sleep without her." She whispered. "I get nightmares." Tears trickled down her face and I realised then the immensity of what the doll actually meant to her. Without another moment's pause, I nodded.

"Alright." I began. "I'll go back and get it. You stay here with Toby; he'll look after you." Sophia's eyes widened.

"I don't want to leave you alone, it's dangerous-"

"I'll be quicker on my own. I'll just run back, grab it and come back. No big deal. I'll back before it gets dark. Toby will just be there. You _stay _up here and keep quiet."

"But what if you don't come back?" Her question startled me and I stared into her frightened eyes.

"I _will _come back, don't worry." I smiled thinly at her. "But," I swallowed hard before continuing. "In the event that I don't return. You follow the map to that town and find your family, take Toby with you. He'll protect you. If I'm not back by tomorrow morning, _you go_." She nodded numbly and I squeezed her hand. "But there's no need to worry, because I will be back _with_ Eliza."

I hoisted myself off my branch and began to make my way down, pausing when I got level with Sophia. I squeezed her hand one last time, giving her a warm smile before jumping down to the ground.

"I'll be back before dark." I promised her. I saw her nod once and I patted Toby on the head. "Stay here, don't follow. _Stay _with Sophia." The dog tilted his head and I patted his head one last time before turning back the way we had come from and headed back to the creek.

I jogged most of the way, adrenaline pumping through me, aswell as the need to retrieve the doll to return back to Sophia. My stomach clenched at her frightened little face perched up in the tree, anxiously waiting for my return. I had to get the doll, and get back to her as quickly as possible.

When I reached the edge of the practically vertical drop, I forced a sigh when I realised that this would be the second time I would be climbing up and down this tiresome hill today and got to it quickly. I nearly fell on a few occasions, losing my grip or my footing and nearly rolling down to the bottom, though I saved myself and would take a moment to stop my heart from beating so loudly in my ears.

I reached the bottom with a triumphant grunt and immediately began scanning the creek for Eliza the doll. Though like always, I found _nothing. _I scoped the area, then scoped it again, only to find the same result. But Sophia was certain she had left it at the creek, _wasn't she_?

I was too busy pondering the predicament, that I had failed to notice that I had attracted attention. It wasn't until I heard the harsh, familiar pants and the horrible sound of scraping footsteps that I turned around and came face to face with a rotting face.

There was no time to scream, I stumbled back in sheer shock, though tripped over my feet and fell onto my back. _An easy target now. _The walker snarled hungrily and stumbled forward before launching itself on me and attempting to bite me with it's flesh-filled teeth. I held it back at arms length, struggling about on the floor, trying to kick it off so I could make use of the knife on my belt.

Sophia's face flashed into my head. _I couldn't fail her now_. I couldn't die and leave her alone, lost without her family.

With a dose of strength, I shoved the hungry walker off me and took the chance to pull myself away from it quickly. I fumbled about with my knife as the walker got his bearings and crawled back towards me. My knife had decided to get stuck and my bat lay discarded, too close to the walker, when I dropped it with fright. My gun; that was in the bag with Sophia.

Grabbing the nearest thing to me, I threw a heavy rock straight for it's head. It connected hard and knocked the walker off it's feet. Taking the chance, I took the rock again and proceeded to pound it's head in, until it was nothing but a mush of bones, blood and brains.

I cried out when I had finished it off, throwing the rock away in disgust and collapsing back with heavy pants. _That was close. _

I realised immediately that I shouldn't make the same mistake twice and let my bearings down. Again though, my acknowledgement was far too late.

Looming over me was a second walker, more hungry that the last. I had no weapons to protect myself this time and Sophia's face came back to me and I knew I had failed her. The walker launched itself on me, much like the last had done, and I tried to put up a fight. I had enough to shove this one off me too and get to my feet to stagger away. Though this one had more strength than the last and was back on me without a moment's pause.

It's arms clawed out at me as it staggered forward, it's teeth gnashing at the prospect of food. It was a metre in front of me, my head racing and my heart-clenching at the fact I had failed Sophia, before suddenly-

-_it fell. _

There was a moment of stillness as I stared down at the now _dead_ walker at my feet, _an arrow bolt _extruding from it's skull and killing it's existence.

I didn't have much time to think before I heard footsteps behind me and I felt pressure on the back of my head. _Sharp, pointed pressure. _A harsh Southern drawl then spoke;

"Who the _fuck _are you?"

* * *

_(Author's Note): I'm not so good with the action scenes as you can probably tell, but hopefully it came out alright! __I was so excited after writing this chapter, so hopefully it's up to your expectations! Again, sorry for the occasional cussing. :) _

_For all those who care to know Eliza is actually the name of the little girl who gave Sophia the doll. I don't know if that was made obvious in the show, I haven't rewatched it in ages, sadly. So I thought I'd give you all some trivial knowledge there. _

_And also for anyone who wants to know the timing of this chapter; basically this is set in Chupacabra. Daryl spots Sophia's doll in the creek and goes down to get it, then climbs back up again to his horse (then obviously falling back down again after his horse is spooked by a snake and gets impaled with an arrow etc - but for the purpose of this story, he hasn't hurt himself). This chapter's action is probably set somewhere between him getting the doll and him climbing back up to Nervous Nelly (is that right?). Let's just say he was distracted by something inbetween those two actions - this is fanfiction after all! :) _

_Your views on this chapter are greatly appreciated! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far! I'm afraid that my next update may be a little longer as I have exams coming up which I'm afraid I have to prepare for! Doesn't the real life suck! ;) I will try to write inbetween studying, but I'm making no promises. Hopefully this little hint of our favourite hillbilly will keep you going a little bit longer! Thanks again. _


	10. Chapter Nine

_Chapter Nine_

A brief thought passed through my mind that I had run into Laurent and the others. My heart stopped for a moment, but then realised that I did not recognise the distinguishable accent of whoever stood behind me. And evidently by their severely rude and demanding question, they didn't know who I was too.

I debated whether or not to remain silent; it would do no good if I got myself into any trouble now whilst Sophia needed me. I scanned my immediate area, trying to work out a plausible escape back up the hill, when the footsteps walked around me and a man came into view, blocking my progressive escape route.

He was a man, though I had already gathered that by his rough, deep tone. I would age him in his 30s, maybe late. His skin was a tanned tone, though I wasn't sure whether it was a natural tan or if it was a mixture of the layers of dirt that hung off him. His clothes were nothing out of the ordinary; skirt and pants, and I could tell he had no scrawny body underneath them either. Thick muscles tightened the sleeves of his arms and though he may not have had an athletics' body, he was definitely in good shape. He had short dark blonde, possibly light brown, hair that was scruffy and misshaped, dishevelled in all directions.

Despite my trepid and curious study of the man in front of me, I did not fail to notice that his expression was turned down in a scowl that creased his face and made it seem like a permanent expression for him. I also didn't fail to notice the heavy, menacing looking crossbow in his hands - that he was pointing directly at my head.

"You deaf or summit?" The man, the person who had undoubtedly saved my life only seconds previous, demanded with practically a snarl. I was a little taken back by his tone, but kept my face expressionless. I wouldn't want him to know I was intimidated and actually a little bit scared. "What is ya name?" He drew each word out slowly, each with more force. Finally, I licked my lips and decided that silence was probably not the way forward anymore.

"Ruby." I replied, stiffly. "Any reason you're pointing that thing at me?" He ignored my question.

"You bit?" His eyes scrutinised me, his gaze hard and like stone. I shook my head numbly. "Scratched?" Another shake of the head. His eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before he lowered his crossbow, his gaze never wavering. "The fuck you doing out in the woods alone?"

"You sure like to cuss, don't you." I muttered, earning myself a glare. He studied me for a moment before turning on his heel and walking away. _What? _I was confused for a moment, wondering what he was doing. I watched as he crouched down by one of the walkers before pulling out a very large looking knife.

He had his back to me so I didn't actually know what he was doing. I remained still for a moment, before my brain restarted again and I fussed about, scanning the area for more walkers. Nothing staggered out of the bushes towards me, or was lurking behind any trees, so I sighed with relief. I ran a hand through my hair and briefly relaxed at the thought of being alive; _that was a close one. _Sophia's face popped into my head and I was then dead set on returning back to her. I would have to explain to her why I would not be returning with the doll.

The sound of a grunt though caught my attention and I glanced over at the strange man to see him holding something up above his head, still crouched down by the walker. I couldn't see what it was, but quickly walked over to pick up my discarded weapons from across the creek. Now feeling armed and slightly safer, I turned to the man.

"Thank you." I said, loud enough for him to hear. He glanced up on briefly before returning back to whatever he was doing. "For saving me."

"Whatever." He muttered. _Wow, he sure was a talker. _

He was a survivor though, and that was all that matters. He was another _living_, breathing human who wasn't trying to eat me and I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps there was some hope?

"What's your name?" I pushed. The man stood, ignoring me for a moment before walking over to the other dead body.

"Don't think we should get too familiar." He said, more to himself than me.

"You know my name, I think it's only right that I know yours." I reasoned. He glared over his shoulder at me. There was a long moment of silence before the man stood, having finished whatever he was doing, and taking three steps towards me.

"Got any string?" He asked, expression blank. I frowned before rummaging through the pockets I had, not even bothering to question why he wanted it. After handing him it, I got my answer.

"Are those _ears?_!" I cried, staring in horror at what was in his hands. Sure enough, in his blood caked hands were two pairs of rotted ears. "You took them from _them_?"

"Shout any louder 'nd I'll be addin' more ears to my collection." He muttered, threading each ear onto the piece of string before hanging it around his neck. I was suddenly beginning to feel very sick and slightly nervous - _perhaps I should be more hesitant of this man? _

He pulled the arrow bolt out of the walker's skull before replacing it back onto his crossbow. His moves were steady, strong, vigilant. I remained still and silent, unsure of what to do. Finally the man turned back to me, eyes judging me for a second.

"You got a place to be?" He asked, eyebrows raised. I swallowed hard, remembering Sophia though unsure if I should tell him I did incase he wanted to come with me. I didn't want to risk taking this man anywhere near Sophia.

"I-" My answer was held short though when I caught sight of something familiar on the man's belt.

_Eliza. _Sophia's doll.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, breathless, pointing to the doll to direct him. The man glanced down at the doll before his expression suddenly turned sour and dark.

"Found it." He hissed. I shook my head once.

"It's mine." I told him, forcefully, ignoring the suddenly heavy glare that was directed at me. I saw his grip tighten on his crossbow, but I ignored that too.

"No it ain't." He muttered.

"Give it back." I tried to be firm and took a step towards the man, though was met with a crossbow in my face again. I sighed, though suddenly something struck me as vaguely familiar about the man. Perhaps not _familiar, _but alarm bells were definitely ringing. I glanced over him again.

_Mr Dixon rides a motorbike and hunts food for us. He brings back squirrels to eat and showed my momma how to skin and cook one. He also has a really big, scary crossbow which he uses to kill walkers and squirrels with. _

I froze, taken back by the sudden realisation and memory of my conversation with Sophia. _A really big, scary crossbow, _surely this wasn't a coincidence. I didn't even notice the single squirrel he had hung over his shoulder on a thick string before. _Definitely not a coincidence. _

_He scares me sometimes._

I licked my lips and decided to take another chance.

"Are you Mr Dixon?" I asked, my voice suddenly losing all strength. As soon as the words left my lips, the man's face dropped and his expression fell to what only could be described as shock. His eyes held mine and his arms nearly fell limp with the weight of the crossbow. I held my breath and waited patiently for my answer. Suddenly, the man's glare was back and with full force.

"How do you know my name?" He hissed through gritted teeth. I physically couldn't contain a smile as soon as he spoke, which seemed to make him glare more.

_We'd done it! We'd found them! _

"I think I have something of yours." I stated, grinning from ear to ear. He looked confused and I couldn't bring myself to speak, too overwhelmed. Instead, I pointed at the doll hanging off his belt. He glared down at it before it suddenly hit him and all anger fell from his expression, only to be replaced by realisation. He lowered his crossbow again, his face for the first time soft and without any frown lines. _He was actually quite handsome beneath the scowling. _

"Sophia?"

* * *

The elderly lady, Bo, vanished about two weeks after I found out about Jessica and her antics. I rarely spoke to the woman, but she would always greet me with a smile and seemed to have that ease about her. I wondered from time to time how she had managed so far with all her niceness, I couldn't imagine her killing any of the rotting creatures that hunted to _eat_ us.

It was when I went to join her for cooking duty one day that something happened. Something _evil._ I wandered over, surprisingly content with the day, but always on edge - ready - that I turned up to find no Bo only Michonne in her place with a glazed expression that made me stop.

"Where's Bo?" I asked.

"Gone." Was my answer.

We cooked in silence for the next hour or so, an uncomfortable silence that left me with a frown as I worked. It when after the men had collected their dinner, chatting ignorantly and happily about their days before swaggering away to eat, that Michonne turned to me with an expression I had grown used to, but could never place.

"Don't eat the meat." She told me, her expression with no force though it was still strong. I nodded numbly, obediently.

_I didn't eat the meat._

* * *

There was a record ten seconds before the man - _Mr Dixon - _turned his expression down again and struck me with a glare, this time it didn't hold it's previous darkness.

"What you talkin' 'bout, girlie?" He demanded, an attempt to be firm. I continued smiling at him and held out my hand, surprisingly him, in a polite gesture.

"Sophia's told me so much about you guys." I told him, warmly. He stared down at my outstretched hand and knocked it away with the butt of his crossbow in a, surprisingly, gentle manner. I didn't take it to heart.

"You know where she is?" Mr Dixon asked. I nodded.

"I'll take you to her." I said, grinning. "She's going to be so happy!" I could practically see her beaming face when I returned, it gave me a bounce in my step that reminded me of the girl in question.

"How did you-" He paused. "Where did you- I don't-" Mr Dixon stuttered, his face frowning, though is whole demeanour just seemed to relax. "Carol's gonna be- Jesus!" He ran a hand over his face and through his hair, I waited for him to gather himself.

"Is Carol her mother?" I asked, politely. "Only Sophia's only ever called her 'Momma'." Mr Dixon nodded dumbly, his eyes trained on the higher level of ground behind me. "She's not up there," I explained. "She's safe, don't worry." I added after he set his hard eyes on mine. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to her. I don't want to leave her alone too long." Mr Dixon studied me for a few scrutinising moments before nodding and sending me a half-hearted glare, which I gathered it's lack of effort was due to shock.

"If you're lyin', I won't hesitate in puttin' an arrow in your ass 'nd throwin' you to some hungry geeks." I wrinkled my nose in dissatisfaction.

"Aren't you the charmer." I muttered.

"The fuck I need _charm_ for? Show me where she is and don't try nothin' funny." I rolled my eyes, turning and making my way over to the steep hill, preparing to climb back up. My smile still remained and I glanced over my shoulder to see Mr Dixon following closely, his eyes suspicious and his crossbow lowered but ready.

_He's allowed to be cautious. _I reasoned to myself. _You'd be freaked out to if some stranger knew your name and starting sprouting some elaborate apparent nonsense. He'll come around when he see her. _

We started climbing.

Mr Dixon was a considerable amount faster than me, and reached the top definitely quicker than Sophia had done earlier that day. I followed soon after and wasn't even surprised when he didn't offer me a hand up. He just stood, leaning against a tree, waiting. His eyes remained focused on me as I hauled myself up and he gestured with his crossbow for me to go. I nodded once and set off in the direction I had left Sophia, Mr Dixon trailing behind me.

His footfalls were deathly quiet and it was almost like I was walking through the forest alone. I would glance behind me every so often just to make sure he was there. He always was, his eyes trailing through the tree line looking for something. Whether it was Sophia or walkers, I was not sure, but his scouting looked a lot more skilled than my own amateur attempt.

"Are you a hunter?" I asked, breaking the silence. There was a moment's pause before he answered.

"Yes." He replied, stiffly. I nodded in thought, eyes looking out for that familiar glimpse of Toby that would tell me we were there.

"I can tell." I told him, glancing over my shoulder at him to smile. He met my gaze and merely raised an eyebrow before going back to his stealthy look out. "Do you have a first name, Mr Dixon? Or are we not allowed to get too familiar anymore?" Another pause.

"Daryl." He said, steadily. "You gonna tell me what the fuck's goin' on?" I sighed.

"First, you're going to stop swearing. I don't think it's a particularly good environment for a twelve year old to hear 'fuck' this and 'fuck' that every five seconds." I told him. I heard a snort.

"The world's gone to shit, the dead are tryin' to kill us and you're bothered about a few cusses?" Daryl muttered. "I take it you were some prissy ass lawyer or summit before all this? Not a hair out of place and all that bullshit?" I rolled my eyes and forced back a sigh.

"No, I wasn't." I told him, ignoring the fact the word _lawyer _reminded me of Michonne. I slowed my steps so I was inline with the hunter. He glanced sideways with me with a glare, but I ignored it. "I found Sophia a few weeks back, being chased by a walker, and scared senseless."

"Wait- _walkers_?" Daryl butt in, the scowl subsiding slightly.

"Sophia's been calling them that and I picked it up." I explained briefly. "I helped her, took her somewhere safe. She told me about your incident at the highway and we were going to double back there the day after I found her. Only we were-" I paused, frowning. "We couldn't." I glanced at Daryl.

"You _couldn't_?" He asked, suspiciously.

"We lodged in a run down house for the night, when we were about to set out back to the highway, I looked outside and saw at least two or so dozen walkers. They must have come from your direction on the highway, judging by the size of them and from what Sophia has described about that day."

"This 'run down house'," Daryl began. "I think I found it when I was out looking for 'er." He was glaring again, but it wasn't directed at me. "If I was only a few days sooner I could have got to 'er quicker."

"We left the next day." I told him. "It would have been highly unlikely that you would have gotten to the house in time. We set off back to the highway, but you were gone by the time we got there. We saw your sign." His head whipped towards me at that.

"The fuck you didn't wait there for us then?" He demanded, that familiar scowl back. _Did this man know how to smile? _

"We couldn't." I forced, hoping he wouldn't want me to elaborate on that. Daryl's face softened slightly at that and he nodded once, looking away and waiting for me to continue. "We spent the night in a tree then set off to a church, where we'd thought you'd be lodging. We must have got there too late. We found three dead walkers, you must have been there?" Daryl nodded numbly again. I sighed. "The creek was the next heading." I gestured vaguely back in the direction we had come from. "It's taken us at least two weeks to get here. We got here only this morning, and found you weren't there so we moved on. I only came back because Sophia had lost her doll." I glanced down at Eliza on Daryl's belt and smiled slightly.

"Good thing you did." He muttered. I nodded in agreement, despite him not looking in my direction. "There just you?" I raised an eyebrow in question when he glanced to me. "You part of another group or summit?" I swallowed hard before replying.

"Just me." I confirmed. "And Toby." Daryl's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Toby?"

As if on que, I saw the familiar head of the German Shepherd, peeking out between the bushes and I grinned. Toby took sight of me and bounded towards me with a sprint. I patted his head upon greeting, forgetting about the man beside me and more happier than I had been for a long time.

I'd done it. _We'd_ done it. After weeks of searching and getting to the point of despair, we'd found Sophia's family - albeit only one of them, but it was evident that the others were nearby somewhere. _God_, I couldn't wait to see her happy grin.

"That's Toby?" Daryl's voice questioned. I glanced up to see his crossbow trained on the dog in question and I glared at him, shoving the blunt of the weapon away forcefully in such a way it shocked the hunter. Once he'd come back around, he glared back. "I ain't interested in your mutt, where is she?"

I got to my feet and turned to the tree that Toby had been protecting and glanced up at the thick of the leaved, trying to catch a glimpse of her. I couldn't see her and wondered if she could see us. I took a few steps towards it, and called out;

"Sophia?" No answer. "Darling, it's me. It's safe to come down now."

"Ruby?" A timid, shaky voice called. I smiled slightly and glanced over my shoulder at Daryl. He was stock still, statue like; his eyes trained solely on the tree.

"Yes, it's me. Come down and see what I've found." My answer had left her with curiosity I knew. It was only a matter of time before I heard the sound of her climbing down and I waited for her to come into sight.

When she did, she had her back to us, focusing on climbing down the tree safely. When she finally jumped down, she turned to face me with a hesitant expression. A smile broke out upon sight of me, though then her gaze noticed the figure behind me and I watched as she began to recognise who it was. Her smile dropped and her eyes went wide. Glancing back, Daryl's expression was much the same.

"Sophia?" Daryl was the first to break the silence, his voice broken and confused.

It was enough for Sophia and it was like her name had kick-started her. In just a single second, the twelve year old had propelled herself forward, running full-pelt in the hunter's direction before flinging her arms around him and hugging his stiff, stone-like body. Daryl didn't react or hug her back, merely stared down at her as she cried into his shirt, with an expression of confusion and relief.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Hello all! Apologises for the longer update this time, but like I said; I've been a bit busy! I took some time out of my busy schedule to write this chapter though, so I hope you all like it! _

_I'm not sure if Daryl is truly in character in this chapter and if he isn't please tell me. If he's too nice, then I'll put that down to the fact he's found Sophia. I hardly think he'll act all grumpy if he did find her in the show. If he is too nice, tell me and I'll make sure in the next chapters he's back to his angry, stubborn self! I was a little hesitant about Sophia and Daryl's reunion, as they never interact in the show so there wasn't much to go off. I improvised and I'd like to think she would have hugged him if he had found her (*sobs that he didn't!*). _

_And I was planning to put more of the old camp's interjection, but I felt that this chapter definitely needed to be focused more on Daryl, Ruby and Sophia. I'd love to know what you did think about the tiny part though with Michonne and the old camp. Ringing any alarm bells? ;) _

_Please tell me what you think about this chapter as it's the one I'm most hesitant about so far. Thank you all for being patient and reviewing the last chapter. You're all awesome! _


	11. Chapter Ten

_Chapter Ten_

"Are we friends, Michonne?" I asked the dark-skinned woman as we cooked. Michonne had taken over from Bo since her _disappearance; _something we hadn't spoken about since it happened - over two weeks ago. My companion hadn't told me anything about what happened to the elderly woman of the camp, and I hadn't asked.

The woman in question glanced up from her work, met my gaze, before carrying on. I noticed a small smile on her face, one I hadn't seen before.

"You're a pain in the backside, ask far too many questions and have a temper that could outmatch mine any day. But," She paused and shrugged in an apparent offhanded manner, which I smirked at. "I supposed I could call you my friend." I nodded once.

"Back at you with all your mystical, deep nonsense." This earned me a glare, which I chuckled at. Our exchange was far too familiar and passive. It made me forget about the horrors I had seen and the questions I wanted answering.

"Have you spoken to your sister yet?" Michonne asked. I sighed.

"Nope." I gritted.

It had been over a month now and still only a handful or words had been passed between Jessica and myself. Laurent had begun to get edgy and continued to pass between the pair of us, urging us to talk. Though we had the same stubbornness and both had refused the old man. Problem was, I had Michonne aswell as Laurent, who was equally as pushy but a lot more sneaky about it.

"You should."

"I don't see why. She's made her choice."

"And what would you do if perhaps tomorrow something happened and you would never see your sister again? Without ever speaking to her or making things right between the pair of you?" Michonne challenged evenly, making me scowl at her. She shrugged at my expression. "It's a plausible possibility and you know it."

"I'll think about it." I muttered, and she nodded her approval.

"Good, because after you do, we have things to discuss." I frowned at this, raising an eyebrow in question.

"What sort of things?" I asked, suspicious. Michonne smirked and leaned closer, urging me to do the same. I glanced around and gathered it was due to the fact there were others close by, so I did the same.

"Our escape."

* * *

The silence that was in the air was broken only by Sophia gasps and timid sniffs. She still clung to Daryl like he was her only lifeline and the man still did not respond to her hug. His gaze was rigid and unsure as he gazed down at the girl who was sure making use of his shirt as a tissue for her tears. He made no move to push her away though, merely let her use him until she was done.

When she did pull away, I saw her wipe her cheeks to clean the tears quickly before smiling at Daryl though moist eyes. The hunter returned the smile with one of his own, though his was small and barely there. It was still _there _though - _he was there - _and I knew it was enough for Sophia.

"I'm sorry, Mr Dixon, for ruining your shirt." She said, timidly. Sophia took a few steps back away from the man to give him some space and Daryl coughed to clear his throat.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Kid. But ya know you can just call me Daryl." He muttered, hitching his crossbow onto his shoulder to hang by it's strap. Apparently I was no danger anymore. He met my gaze and nodded once before crouching down in front of Sophia. "Your momma's been worried sick, we all 'ave." Sophia nodded, bowing her head.

"I shouldn't have run away, I should have stayed when Mr Grimes told me to. I'm sorry." Tears ran down her face again and I remained back, letting them have their reunion and feeling my stomach drop at the sight of Sophia crying. It was like when I had first met her and she would not stop sobbing, it was a heart-wrenching sight. Daryl grimaced at the sight of her crying and glanced about awkwardly.

"Ain't no need for that." He sighed. "No point 'pologising for nothin' either. You're safe 'nd that's all that matters."

"Are the others okay?" She asked quickly. Something in Daryl's expression tensed slightly and his jaw tightened for the briefest of moments. Sophia didn't seem to notice it, but I did. I said nothing.

"Everyone's fine." He replied, stiffly. "Just worried about you 'tis all."

"We've been trying to find you." Sophia pushed, glancing back at me. I smiled weakly at her and she continued. "We did! We've been hiking through the woods for so long; we've even had to sleep in trees." This made Daryl's lips tug upwards slightly.

"I was right 'bout you being a monkey after all." He murmured, making Sophia's eyes light up and some apparent joke between them. "I knew we'd find ya, kept tellin' the others so. You're a strong little lass."

"Ruby looked after me!" She interjected quickly, glancing back at me and sending me a tearful grin. I returned it weakly again and continued to say nothing. "She saved me from the walkers and took care of me. She promised that we'd find you all again, and we have!" Daryl's eyes met mine again as he studied me briefly before turning back to Sophia.

"She's a very nice lady." He murmured, something that made me raise an eyebrow. Sophia nodded frantically in agreement.

"And she can come back with us, right?" She urged, failing to see the way Daryl's expression tightened at her words. He inhaled deeply before standing up and tugging at his crossbow strap. There was a pause before Daryl glanced at me for a moment before shrugging.

"I can take ya back to the others." He began, eyes glancing between Sophia and I, though I knew he was talking to me. "I'll take ya to Rick, you're gonna 'ave to talk to him first 'bout stayin'." I swallowed hard, studying Sophia in silence before sighing.

"If it's too much trouble, then you won't have to. Toby and I will go on alone, you can take Sophia back to your others." I told the man, earnestly. This made him hold my gaze with a frown, though it was Sophia who turned to look at me with a frantic expression.

"No!" She cried. "You're coming with us!" She glanced back at Daryl briefly before turning back to me. "You have to! I don't want you to be alone. Mr Grimes will let you stay, I know he will. He's a good man, and my momma won't let you go out on your own again. Please, come with us!"

"Sophia, I don't want to intrude." I tried to convince the girl, patiently. "We did it though, we found your family and that's all that matters." She shook her head, not listening to my words.

"You're coming with us!" Her tone was so forceful that I was taken back with surprised. Daryl made a humming sound that sounded liked a chuckle, a small smirk on his lips.

"Looks like the lady has spoken." He murmured, folding his arms across his chest. Sophia turned on him.

"She can come with us, right?" She demanded. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Like I said, it's for Rick to decide if she can stay." He replied, looking at me. "But you can come with us back to the others." He let out a heavy sigh, and glanced around the area before continuing. "It's the least I can do for what you've done for Sophia." The girl in question gave the hunter a triumphant grin, and I knew she had won. I met her gaze with a raised eyebrow, which she returned with an expression that said; _no arguments. _I chuckled.

"You've become a right little madam, haven't you." I muttered, earning myself a grin. "Not sure your momma is going to be pleased with this new attitude we're returning you back to her with. She'll think I'm a bad influence."

* * *

A few days after Michonne and my conversation on cooking duty, Jessica approached me with an expression that had meaning. I glanced up from my work by the fire and I subtly noticed Michonne sliver away back to her own tent as she saw my sister approaching - to give us privacy. I raised an eyebrow at my sister as stood in front of me, an awkward look in her eye.

"Hi?" I said, hesitantly. I expected a forceful rant to be thrown at me, and I was surprised when Jessica smiled weakly and sat down beside me.

"Hello." She greeted, quietly, avoiding my gaze. I didn't say anything, allowing Jessica to process her thoughts before talking to me. "I'm an ass." I snorted.

"I know that." I retorted, half-heartedly.

"I shouldn't have been so arrogant and rude." I glanced up at her and shrugged.

"We're sisters, we fight." I muttered. She frowned slightly. "It's always been like this. Just because the world's ended doesn't mean the normality of our relationship has."

"You've been spending far too much time with that Michonne." Jessica said, eyes narrowing slightly before sighing. "I am sorry for what I said and for not telling you. Though I'm not sorry for what I did - _am doing_." I didn't bother holding back the grimace and remained gazing at the fire.

"You understand why I was acting like I was though, don't you?" I urged, hoping she at least had enough sense to know what she was doing was wrong. "You know what those men have done, are _doing?_"

"Philip won't hurt me." Jessica said, evenly, making me turn to her. I snorted at her expression.

"_Philip? _Wow, I haven't even met the man and you're already on first name basis." Jessica frowned.

"What do you mean, you haven't met him?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "He's told me he's met you." I stared at her in confusion. _Had I met the infamous 'Boss' already? _Surely I hadn't, no one had introduced me to him and no one had introduced themselves as him. I thought I had caught sight of him briefly from across camp, hanging around with Laurent occasionally, but usually just set eyes on the horrible man I had met on laundry duty that day.

"_Name."_

"_Ruby." _

"_You're the older one?" _

"_Yes." _

"_Hmm." He nodded once before smirking again. When he leant in, I smelt what could only be described as the stench of human flesh in his breath, something I blamed on the adjustment of the dead trying to hunt us. But the stench was so strong. "You be a good girl now, we wouldn't want anything to-" A pause. "Happen to you or your sister." _

I frowned for a moment, before taking in Jessica's confused expression. The pieces fit into my head quite quickly and I jumped to my feet when I realised.

"Him?" I cried. "He's 'The Boss'?" I was talking more to myself as Jessica hadn't a clue what I was on about. "But I- he-" Jessica raised an eyebrow at me.

"So, you _have_ met him?" She muttered, and I glared at her.

"I know that there are scarcely few _living _men in the world anymore, but did you really have to choose _him?_" Jessica was on her feet, matching my glare.

"You don't know anything about him!" She cried back. I snorted.

"And do you?" I challenged. "Have you not seen what the men do to us women whenever they please? You've seen what they've done to Sarah, to Clare. What makes you think he's any different?"

"I just _know_." She spat. I chuckled without humour.

"What a pathetically childish answer." I tittered, stepping closer to my sister so I was right in her face. "Have you not smelt _it_?" Her eyes narrowed with angry confusion.

"Smelt what?" She demanded through gritted teeth. I shook my head, backing away and befounded that she even had to ask me that question. "Smelt _what?_" Her voice was now stronger and I glanced back over my shoulder to Michonne, who was stood in the shadows - _watching. _

The dark-skinned woman stepped forward, her eyes trained on my sister with an unfathomable expression. She treaded carefully, working her way around the fire with slow steps, each making my sister glare harder. Suddenly Michonne was by her side, and Jessica took a step back. I remained silent, watching and waiting for the confirmation from what I believed was going on here, in this camp, from Michonne. My friend met my gaze and nodded once solemnly, and I had to sit down at this realisation. I ran an unsteady hand through my hair, my breathing suddenly heavy, as Jessica began to demand what on earth was going on.

"Do you honestly not smell it?" Michonne asked, evenly, making Jessica turn to her with a confused scowl. "I hardly believe that. You're ignoring it. Pretending like it's not there." She took one more step towards Jessica, though this time my sister didn't move. There was something in Jessica's expression that made her hold her gaze with Michonne. "Though you _know _what it is, don't you? It's hard to ignore that smell of _cooked _human flesh."

* * *

I had to climb back up the tree again to retrieve our bags once Daryl said that we would be moving rather than spending the night. Sophia had been given back Eliza and was now clutching it with so much force, it was unbelievable. She remained beside Toby, between myself up the tree and Daryl who was waiting for me to get back down, scanning the area for any walkers.

Once I had retrieved the bags and jumped back down, I hoisted one up onto my shoulders, before Sophia scuttled forward to collect the other. She prepared to put it onto her back, though a hand reached forward and swiped it from her. I glanced up to see Daryl hauling the bag into his back, before repositioning his crossbow again and glancing down at Sophia.

"Don't need you strainin' too much, Kid." He muttered, smirking at Sophia's glaring. "Your momma won't be pleased if I return you back to her with broken back."

"I've carried that bag for two weeks and I haven't broken anything." Sophia argued and I smiled slightly at the pointless argument. Daryl just smirked wider.

"Now, I'm not so surprised it's taken you so long to reach that creek. This bag weighs a God Damn ton." He hoisted his strap up again and I snorted.

"That's the lighter one." I told him, watching as he raised an eyebrow. He studied me up and down for a moment in silence.

"You wanna swap?" He suggested suddenly, gesturing to the bags. I was taken back for a few moments, but gathered myself and shook my head.

"I'm fine." Daryl didn't push it further, merely nodded and glanced around the immediate area.

"We keep movin' 'nd we should be able to reach the farm before nightfall." He explained, glancing at each of us in turn. "That means no rest stops or piss breaks or any of that bullshit." I glared at him, whilst Sophia frowned.

"Farm?" She asked, voice hopeful. Daryl smiled slightly and nodded.

"You're gonna love it, Kid."

* * *

_(Author's Note): A quick update, I know. But I had a feeling that I might not be able to update so quickly next time, so I thought I'd put up the next chapter written. It's a short one, but I decided it was a decent enough cut off point. _

_Again, I'm still hesitant about my portrayal of Daryl. I'm glad that he seemed alright in the previous chapter (thanks to your responses), but this one I'm still unsure. I suppose he a little nicer, but like I said last time; he's just found Sophia and before that he wasn't that much of a jerk, so I guess that's why he's a little softer than normal at the moment. If people don't like this portrayl, please say and I'll up his stubbornness for the next chapter. ;)_

_Thanks for all your kind reviews and I'm loving all your guess work! I'm glad you seemed to be enjoying the old group's interjections too, as I thought they might be more of an annoyance to the main story than enjoyment. Hopefully that back storyline isn't too cliche or over-used either. I'm sorry if it is. _

_A few questions though; what would you all like to see in the next upcoming chapters? Would you want there to be conflict in camp over Ruby's arrival? How do you think they'll react to Sophia's appearance? And particular tension or spite towards Ruby from any of the canon characters? How would you like her and Daryl's relationship to progress - if you even want it to? And what do you think Daryl will do now he's found her; will be go back to his old selfish ways or perhaps remain in the group's circle? And what will happen to Sophia's and Ruby's relationship when they find the others? - a 'few' questions probably isn't the correct word ;) I'd just love to know what you lovely people want so I could inncorporate it into my story! _

_Thanks again to all your reviews and fingers crossed I'll have the next update up by the end of the week! _


	12. Chapter Eleven

_Chapter Eleven_

Daryl was wrong.

We hiked through the forest in our small pack, the hunter leading silently whilst Sophia and I trailed behind. Toby seemed to be judging Daryl warily, a few steps behind the stealthy man and with his head tilted slightly. It was only a matter of time though until he seemed content with the man and bounded on ahead a little to take over the lead. I heard Daryl breath a chuckle, though I couldn't be sure if it was the wind or not.

The darkening sky made me cautious and I was anxious for this farm Daryl had spoken about to come into view so we could find some shelter for the night - and so Sophia could be reunited with her mother again. Though there didn't appear to be anything but endless trees and soon the night time settled and Daryl's pace slowed down.

"It's gonna take a little longer than I thought." Daryl muttered, coming to halt and glancing around. "I rode here on a horse, twice as fast as walking." He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular, just stating a fact. I studied the man silently, still hesitant and curious about him, before sighing.

"So, we make camp?" I asked, clutching Sophia's hand in my tightly. Daryl nodded once and made one last sweep of the area with his gaze before training them on us.

"Here should be fine. I'll take watch." There was a moment's pause before I reluctantly put down my bag.

I wasn't happy about sleeping on the forest floor - we were far too exposed and I wasn't sure how safe I felt resting with the strange presence of Daryl Dixon watching over us. I watched the man, suspiciously, as he went about making a suitable place for Sophia to sleep. Sophia seemed at ease with him though, and that thought alone was a good enough answer for me to trust her judgement and this man for the time being.

Toby had taken to taking watch too, lying nearby the hunter and ears perked up on alert. I caught Daryl once or twice patting Toby lightly before withdrawing his hand and fiddling about with his crossbow aimlessly. Sophia had curled herself up, one of my blanket's thrown over her. She was unconscious to the world quite quickly; exhaustion taking over. A blissful smile was on her lips and I knew she must be dreaming about her upending reunion with her mother.

Exhaustion wasn't in _my _favour, however. After several attempts at falling asleep, nothing seemed to make me content and I constantly fidgeted from my spot on the forest floor. I still wasn't happy about our location. My gaze stared up at the tree tops above us, longing for their protection for the night.

"You gonna stop movin', or do I gotta put an arrow up your ass?" A grunted tone muttered through the darkness. I didn't need to see who it belonged to and sighed, sitting up.

"Can't sleep." I offered as a reply. The hunted grunted once more before falling silent again. "You want me to take watch whilst you get some rest?"

"No 'ffence, girlie, but I don't rightly know you so I ain't about to go 'bed time' when you could potentially kill me in my sleep." I breathed a chuckle, one quiet enough not to wake Sophia.

"You honestly think I'm going to try and kill you?" I asked, disbelieved and humoured.

"I don't know what to think anymore." Daryl shrugged. I silently agreed with him and chewed my lip thoughtfully.

"How do I know _you_ won't kill _me _in my sleep?" I asked.

"If I was gonna kill ya, I'd have done it already." Daryl muttered. I hummed quietly before falling silent again.

My mind tinkered aimlessly as I judged the man in my presence. He was capable of dispatching me easily, that was for sure. But he hadn't and I knew that was down to Sophia. He had an unfriendly persona, and yet he had softened in the presence of a little girl. I had gathered quickly that though I was not a threat to him, he did not trust me, and nor did I for him. My trust was unstable though, Sophia being a rare exception. And yet, here I was, willingly following this stranger and not taking off to leave when I had the chance. There was something that drew me to this opportunity. Maybe it was Sophia, or perhaps the concept of _living _people. Whatever it was, I felt unable to pack up and leave. Not with the image of Sophia's broken face in my mind.

"Why'd you do it?" Was the question that cut me from my thoughts.

"Do what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Daryl gestured to Sophia's sleeping form.

"You saved a total stranger, probably putting yourself in danger and hiked through a forest just to return her back to her 'rightful owner'. You a saint or summit?" I chuckled again.

"I have morals, Mr Dixon. I was hardly going to leave a frightened little girl to be eaten by those _things._" I shuddered briefly. "Wouldn't you?" There was a long moment of silence as the hunter contemplated his reply.

"Depends if I had summit worth living for." Was his answer. I frowned at this, but made no attempt to comment. "You been on your own since the beginning of all this?"

"I didn't think you were much of a talker." I pointed out, folding my arms across my chest and leaning back against a tree trunk. Daryl snorted.

"I ain't. I just wanna know who I'm bringing back to my camp and whether or not you're gonna be a danger." I sighed.

"You don't have to take me back with you. Take Sophia back to her mother, Toby and myself will move on-"

"Oh no, you ain't abandoning her. The kid seems to have taken a liking to you, so you're coming with us if you like it or not. " I frowned and ran my hand through my hair.

"I honestly don't understand you." I murmured.

"Get used to it. Now answer the God Damn question." I held back a sigh and glanced at the man to see him watching me intently. He looked as though he was judging me; assessing me. He probably was. True to his word, he was probably trying to decipher if I was a danger or not. This man's trust issues were worse than my own.

"My sister and I survived at the beginning, we were saved by a man; Laurent his name was. He looked after us." I explained briefly. Daryl's hard gaze didn't waver.

"And where are your sister and this Laurent guy now?" I shrugged, a half-honest answer. They have probably moved on from the location Laurent had directed on the map he had given me. Daryl's eyes narrowed. "They alive?"

"As far as I know." I replied.

"And why ain't you with them?" Daryl's hands twitched towards his crossbow, an action I didn't fail to register. I was growing weary of the man's distrust.

"We met a larger group." I began, not withdrawing my gaze. "They provided protection from the dead, but they were-" I paused. "Bad people."

"'Bad people'?" Daryl asked, though his voice had lost a little of it's grunt. I shrugged again.

"There was six women in camp when my sister and I arrived. We were given duties such as cleaning, cooking, sewing - domestic duties. Soon though I found out that they weren't our only 'duties'." I grinded my teeth together and looked away, between the trees and mentally visually each and every member of that camp dying a slow, horrific death. "You want me to elaborate some more, Mr Dixon?" My tone was harsh, competition with his own. I expected an equally harsh reply from the man and was surprised when I didn't.

"Nah, you don't." He murmured. "I get it." I snorted and titled my head towards him, my eyes judged him for a few moments before he spoke again. "Fuckers like that deserve to get ripped apart." I chuckled.

"That's something I wish everyday." I admitted.

"So, you escape, I guess?" I nodded. "Without ya sister?"

"Without my sister." I confirmed, eyes blazing and still in contact with Daryl's. He contemplated it for a few moments before nodding.

"That group; they dangerous?" He asked. I swallowed hard before nodding.

"I don't know much about your group, Mr Dixon, but the other group, they are strong and likely more dangerous."

"We've dealt with a lot." Daryl began. "More than enough. We're strong too."

"I don't doubt that, but they're more dangerous than walkers." Daryl raised an eyebrow at this and chewed his thumb, thoughtfully.

"They camped nearby?" I shrugged again.

"I don't know. But they were on the highway the day Sophia and I went there looking for you. They were looting the cars and got overrun by walkers. We made our escape whilst they were getting rid of them, but Laurent saw me and I don't doubt that they will have moved on far." There was a long silence, only broken by a distant cry of some animal. It wasn't a pain-filled sound, but it still made me shudder. Daryl's eyes had darkened, though he continued to contemplate in silence.

"You gotta tell my group this when we get back to the farm." He murmured, softly. "Rick'll need to know. He'll decide what we gotta do next." I nodded. His eyes trailed down to Sophia and I saw him swallow hard. "I lied to her before." He said suddenly, his voice threatening to break. I frowned, but didn't say anything. "When she asked if the others are alright." He raised his eyes again to mine.

"Her mother's alright?" I asked, quickly, fearing the worse. I couldn't bare to imagine returning Sophia back to her group, her hopeful eyes as she searched for her mother's awaiting arms. Only for the realisation that her mother was hurt or even _dead_. Daryl nodded and I felt myself let our a sigh of relief.

"It's Rick's little boy; Carl."

_Carl's my best friend_

"He's been shot."

"Oh my," Was all I could muster up. My eyes stared down at the sleeping form between us, blissfully unaware of her friend's condition. "Is he alive?"

"Yeah, he's recoverin'. Farmer said he's gonna be fine." I studied the man's slouched position with a frown.

"He's going to live and that's all that'll matter to her." I replied. Daryl shrugged.

"Still ain't nice for her to return back to find her friend shot. Couldn't bring myself to tell her; she was just so happy to see me." He sniffed loudly, wiping a hand across his face. "She'll be pissed at me."

"No she won't." I muttered. "She'll be too overwhelmed at being back with you all."

Daryl didn't say anything and I gathered that the subject was over. We remained silent for a few long minutes, my eyes beginning to droop slightly and I was glad that exhaustion was kicking in finally. Even leaning against the trunk of a tree was comfortable and welcoming.

"When we get back to the farm," Daryl's voice suddenly picked up. I opened my eyes immediately and tilted my head back towards the hunter. He was picking at his fingertips. "I'll tell them how I found you and you'll tell them what you told me - about that other group. They won't throw you out, Sophia won't let them for starters. Rick's a good person, too good for his own, but he ain't gonna make you leave. If you wanna stay with us, then you can." He paused and glanced up at me. "But you gotta watch yourself." I tensed myself at that and narrowed my gaze.

"'Watch myself'?" I hissed. I had heard that before. Daryl must have realised his mistake and backtracked.

"We ain't like that." He said, forcefully. "Definitely _not. _But Shane-" He cut himself off and chuckled without humour. "He ain't right and he hasn't been for a long time."

"Is he the other cop?" I asked, Daryl nodded. "What do you mean 'he ain't right'?"

"Not sure if the others can really see yet, maybe it's just 'cos I'm more observant than them, but I can _see. _He's verging on fucking crazy, and I suggest you watch yourself when we get back to the farm. He seems to have every intention to go against everything the camp wants, and feel the need to make things difficult. I guarantee that _Shane _will be the only one who will disagree with your stayin'. All I'm saying is, just watch yourself." I processed this for a moment, along with my memories with what Sophia had told me and nodded.

"I will, thanks for the heads up." Daryl grumbled something inaudible and sighed.

"Rest up, you're gonna need your energy for tomorrow." He grunted, before falling silent. I studied the man for a few moments, taking in his words and his appearance. There was something about him. Whether it was his words, his looks or his distinguishable accent that was recognisable.

"There's something about you that's familiar." I muttered before I could close my mouth. Daryl's eyes shot up to mine again in a flash and neither of us muttered a word. I tried to fathom what it was that was just so familiar but nothing sprang to mind. Daryl's jaw tightened.

"Doubtful." He replied. "I ain't ever met you before."

"My mistake." Daryl nodded once before averting his eyes.

"Go to sleep." He murmured, playing with his crossbow's strings. I studied him briefly again, before obliging to his wishes. In doing so, hearing an echoing familiar laugh that reminded me of Daryl Dixon.

* * *

Jessica avoided Michonne and I like we were something rotten. When I returned back to our tent one evening, all her stuff was packed and gone without even a shred of an explanation. I didn't make anything of it though, merely stared at the empty tent, only feeling a bitter numbness for my sister's decision.

_She didn't believe us. She had made her choice. _

We had not told her of our plans for escape, something we knew she would only run and tell to her precious _Philip. _No, we kept it to ourselves and would talk in hushed whispers about our plans when we were alone.

I had contemplated telling Laurent, but I knew that was a foolish idea. Though I knew Laurent cared about me, he would only try convince me to stay. He wasn't aware of what us women had to go through, the fear and upending bitter sadness of our predicament. He was _fine. _He was the right hand man of The Boss. He was immune to whatever hell was misting through camp.

Michonne had told me that we were to leave the other women too, they would only slow us down apparently. They were _weak, _unlike ourselves, and would not survive beyond the fences. They were safer in camp, despite being used as toys to be used whenever the men pleased. At first I did not like this decision, I wanted to save everyone who need it. But Michonne was stubborn and would not heed to anything I tried to say. Soon, I abolished all attempts.

"Hey, laundry girl." A voice cut through me. I turned around to see a grinning John walking towards me, a swag in his strides. I had passed his tent before, hearing the muffled cries from one of the women - Elizabeth, I think. He was sufficed for today and I hated how that made me relieved. I kept my expression neutral as the disgusting specimen of a man stopped in front of me. "You're wanted." I raised an eyebrow.

"By who?" I asked. He didn't say anything, only beckoned me to follow him. I did so, putting my basket of clothes down.

We weaved through tents, passed rowdy men whose odours burned my nostrils, until we finally camp to a halt at the far edge of camp. I recognised it to be the area Laurent had set up his tent. John lead me into a very large looking, gazebo-sized tent which I knew who it belonged to immediately.

The Boss - or Philip - was exactly how I remembered him, the same sleazy grin on his face. He was sat in a deck chair, his feet propped up on a table, and his attention focused on Laurent, who stood in front of him. Beside him, on another chair sat my sister, who's eyes widened at the sight of me and who tensed immediately. I managed to glare at her, before averting my gaze to the two men.

"Ahh, Ruby. It's so nice to finally make you acquaintance at last." The Boss said, grinning. "Apologises for the lack of a formal introduction last time we spoke, but I'm Philip."

"I thought you were 'The Boss'?" I asked, calmly. John has been beckoned to leave the tent, leaving the four of us. Philip chuckled.

"That's a title that the camp appeared to have taken a shine too, personally I prefer 'The Governor'." I held back a snort, keeping my face blank. Laurent beside him was staring intently at me, though I tried to avoid his gaze.

"Is there something you want, sir? Only I have work to do." I asked. Philip grinned.

"Your sister here has lodged herself in my company, telling me how you've been oh so very mean to her." His hand trailed over to my sister, stroking her cheek in an apparent affectionate manner. "I don't want the pair of you to fight." I swallowed hard, hating the way Jessica looked so content by the fact this disgusting man was touching her so intimately.

"Neither do I." I spoke, glancing to my sister. Jessica tensed at my gaze and had to look away quickly. "But she seems to prefer your company to mine. I suppose living with your sister can only be managed for so long." I knew she wouldn't come back, even if I begged her. I knew my sister, and this was _her _choice.

"Indeed." Philip agreed, curtly. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted when a man appeared at the flap of the tent. He glanced between us for a few moments before training his gaze on Philip.

"He's awake, Boss." The man said. A sickening smile appeared on Philip's lips as he stood.

"Good, we're coming now." The man left and Philip turned to Laurent, who nodded once. "You ladies should come too, see the show." He left no room for questions, merely took my sister's hand and pulled her out of the tent behind him. She avoided my gaze as she passed and left myself and Laurent alone.

"You should go back to your work." Laurent said, hollowly. I raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't want to miss the fun now." I retorted dryly. Laurent sighed and lead me out and after the others.

We walked around the side of the chained fence, over to the far corner of camp before stopping by a van. Two men had already opened the back of the van when we arrived and there was a bustle inside, voices raised, before they appeared again. They had dragged out a third man.

The third man was restrained, though continued to make an attempt to break free. He threw out a long string of violent threats and swear words in a voice that held a strong Southern accent, something I couldn't quite place. He was pretty much bald, and looked to be in his late 40s. The leather waistcoat, black vest and dark pants he wore were ripped and hung off him, though he still managed to look intimidating enough. He was strong looking, probably tall and had a mean snarl on his face as he continued to spit insults left, right and centre.

I hung back, beside Laurent, as the man was brought forward from the back of the van and thrown in front of Philip's feet. A rifle was held to his head, which stopped his struggles. He fell silent and glared up at everyone.

"You fuckers better get me the fuck outta this or I'm gonna fuckin' kill y'all!" The man hissed. I raised an eyebrow at the string of 'fucks', and waited to see what Philip would do. He did as I expected - he chuckled.

"Such admirable words for someone in your predicament." He taunted. The man glared at him. "Where'd you find him again?" He asked, glancing to the two men beside him.

"Side of a road." One of the replied. "The fool was trying to drive this van but must have passed out from blood loss, he was unconscious when we found him." Philip chuckled again.

"Interesting." He murmured. "What's your name, sir?"

"Fuck you." Was the reply.

"Expected." Philip shrugged, crouching down in front of him. The man took the opportunity to spit on his face, which was carelessly wiped away without much of a thought. "At least tell me what you thought to achieve driving with only one hand."

I hadn't even realised the man only had one hand until it was mentioned. Sure enough at the end of his right arm was a bloodied stump, that was bandaged up with some old rag. The blood around it was dry, though the skin looked black and I averted my gaze from the mangled sight of it and back towards the man's scowling face.

"I don't gotta tell you bastards nothin'." He hissed. Philip shrugged and rose to his feet again.

"You will eventually." He responded evenly, before nodding once to one of the men. There was a thud as the retrained man was hit over the head with the blunt of a rifle and another as he fell to the floor, a brief grunt as he did. "Tie him up, but him in tent, guard it and inform me if he wakes up."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to do that when he was unconscious before?" I muttered, not knowing that it was loud enough to be heard by anyone other than Laurent. Philip turned to me, his face blank for a moment before his sickening grin appeared.

"I assign you, Ruby, to clean up his wounds and make sure he's comfortable enough for when I question him." He stated. I opened my mouth to speak, though he took some steps towards me and stared down at me with a daring gaze. "Do _not_ let me down."

His words held meaning and it was with those that he made his departure. Jessica remained for the briefest of moments, her gaze between the unconscious man and myself, before she scampered off after him. Laurent remained still beside me before sighing loudly and walking away, glancing meaningfully at me as he did. I remained still for a few moments, staring as the heaved the man's dead weight back up into the van to move him to his next location. I swallowed hard before moving quickly to gather what I needed.

* * *

_(Author's Note): People, hello! Sorry for the delay in an update, I've just been so very busy! I hope you can forgive me! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and who put in on their favourites/alerts. It means a __lot! _

_What do you guys think about this chapter then? More importantly what you think about the introduction to a certain someone at the end of it? Really nervous about adding him to the story, as I've already added Michonne and Philip (who is, as you have probably guessed, is based off the character 'The Governor' in the graphic novels). Please tell me what you think about this and where you'd like this plot line to go - it'll be interesting to see what you lovely people want! _

_Thanks again for the reviews, and don't worry - Sophia will be reunited with the group very soon! I shall update when I can. _


	13. Chapter Twelve

_Chapter Twelve_

"Are there sheep on this farm?" Sophia asked, voice full of wonder.

We had been woken up the next morning by Daryl, who told us we had to get moving. I handed out food to Daryl and Sophia from my bag, a tin of tuna for Toby, which went occupanied with the squirrel Daryl had caught and killed the day before. He had cooked it as we got ourselves up and ready and handed out the cooked meat with a grunt. I had stared down at it with apprehension, the thought of eating meat completely at the back of my mind since the previous camp (I had become a vegetarian since I had found out the men's _eating habits_). Though I had seen clearly that this was not human meat, merely squirrel. Daryl must have noticed my hesitant to eat it, but clearly misinterpreted my pause to being that I didn't know what to make of squirrel meat. _If only he knew. _

"Ain't gonna kill ya." He had said. I was surprised to look up and see a smirk on the man's face. "Plus, you gotta get used to it if you're gonna be stayin' with us. Squirrel is a delicacy in our group, ain't that right, Sophia?" The girl in question had grinned at me in reply, before continuing to eat her own meat. I smiled slightly and took a bite. _Not bad. _I remembered thinking, before eating the whole thing. Daryl nodded his approval and carried on eating his own, a ghost smirk on his face still.

Daryl was ahead of us like the previous day, his strides larger than ours, but his pace was slow so we could keep up. Toby had taken a liking to the hunter and remained close by his side. Daryl, himself, didn't seem to mind the dog's company. Sophia was my companion like before, her hand in mine and a skip in her step. At her question, Daryl glanced back at us with a raised eyebrow.

"Kinda question is that?" He muttered. Sophia shrugged.

"I like sheep." She replied. Daryl snorted and shook his head.

"It ain't got sheep, nor cows." He said. "It has a load of horses though." Sophia grinned at this. "You like horses too?" Sophia giggled in confirmation and I smiled slightly. "Your momma's been helping to take care of 'em, suppose you could probably help 'er when we get back."

"Can I ride them too?" Sophia asked. I saw Daryl's shoulders jolt in a shrugging gesture.

"Have to ask Herschel 'bout that." Daryl replied. I saw Sophia's head tilt with confusion.

"Herschel?"

"He owns the farm." Daryl explained. He glanced back at us again, this time he held my eyes. "He's a doctor - of some description." It took me a few moments to realise what he was getting at; _he's treating Carl. _I nodded once to tell Daryl I understood and he turned his head away again.

"Is he nice?" Sophia probed. Daryl shrugged again.

"Suppose so." He muttered. Sophia wasn't disheartened by his grumble of a tone, and smiled up at me. I smiled back down at her and squeezed her hand.

Our walking continued at a steady pace, the terrain pretty easy to work our way through fine. I could feel the energy from Sophia at practically every step she took. Her chatter was constant now and I could tell it was growing thin on the man that lead us. I would answer for the hunter, or make conversation with the little girl to save Daryl any more irritation.

Soon though, the trees began to even out and I knew we were getting close. Sophia must have done too, as she tugged me forward quicker with her eagerness.

Daryl brought us to a halt in front of a fence and glanced back at Sophia with a slight smile, before gesturing to a farm house beyond the fence.

The farm house stood tall and large in the middle of the acres of land. It was painted white and had all the quaint finishes that I had imagined on our hike, complete with a porch out front. Somewhere behind the farm house stood a barn, isolated and set away from the rest of the farm. In front of the house was a small congregation of tents as well as a range of vehicles, one being a large white RV camper.

Daryl hopped over the fence, before holding his hands out to help Sophia over. Toby crawled his way under the barbed wire, and I lifted Sophia up into Daryl's awaiting arms. I proceeded to throw the bags over onto the grass on the other side, before attempting to climb over myself. It was awkward and painful as I nipped myself on the spikes, but suddenly there was pressure on the fence, and I glanced up to see Daryl with his foot on the wire to make it easier for me to climb over. He didn't offer me his hand for extra help, merely nodded and let me get on with it myself. I was surprised he would even offer the margin of help that he did and hopped over with the others without any more fussing.

Something glinted on the top of the RV and suddenly I saw a figure stand up. I glanced towards Daryl who shrugged.

"We got someone on watch at all times, probably spotted us by now." He hoisted up one of my discarded bags, which I didn't fail to notice was heavier of the two, and patted Sophia lightly on the head. "Better get you to your momma, huh?" Sophia grinned and we made our way towards the farmhouse, Sophia craning her neck to see if she could make out her momma.

There was stillness from the camp up ahead, the figure on top of the RV having jumped down to probably inform the rest of camp. There was a feel of apprehension as we approached the camp, Toby must have sensed this from me and had chosen to remain at my side instead of the hunter's like he must have preferred.

Suddenly though, figures immerged from between the trees. Their pace was slow at first, as they appeared to judge our approaching group. It only took a moment though before one burst out from the back, pushing their way through the others and ran at full speed towards us. I didn't need to guess who it was.

"Momma!" Sophia cried, her legs kick starting and suddenly she propelled herself forward towards the oncoming figure. I watched with a smile at the sight as Sophia reached the woman who I knew to be her mother and jump straight into her arms, wrapping her own around her mother.

The sight of the two in reunion, the sound of sobs from the pair of them for the fact they were together again, was enough to make me stop in my tracks and reflect on my journey with the little girl.

We had had an ordeal, and there were countless times where I had wondered why I had gotten myself into this situation. I was alone before Sophia, unable to really trust people after what had happened with the other group. But her innocence and vulnerability had given me something to strive to. This moment was what we had set out to do; _reunite Sophia with her momma. _

Now, there was a sudden numbness in me. I didn't know what to do anymore. My duty had been fulfilled, so to speak. Sophia was with her mother once more and surely would not care if I remained or stayed. I was just her lifeline, her escort. I was not needed anymore.

Daryl had stopped in his tracks too and remained somewhere close by, but watching the mother and daughter reunion. He glanced back at me with a unfathomable gaze. I hitched my bag up higher, longing for my other one so I could have made a hasty get away. Daryl raised an eyebrow and took a few steps back, his eyes on the figures in front before he stopped beside me.

"Don't start thinking 'bout leaving, 'gain." He muttered. "It ain't worth it."

"I don't belong here, Mr Dixon." I sighed.

"Fuck that." He snorted, before pointing at Sophia and her mother. "You're the reason that's happenin' right now. You're the reason that little girl is _alive_. She don't want you to leave 'nd what you've done isn't gonna be forgotten by anyone in this camp. Now, we've just got 'er back 'nd I sure as hell ain't gonna see 'er heart broken after you just jackin' up 'nd leavin'." I met his strong gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"You gonna put an arrow in my ass if I make a run for it?" I joked, earning myself a smirk from the hunter.

The approaching figures had gotten closer and Sophia and her mother had let go of each other, though remained clinging on. Sophia's mother was a petit women, with short cropped hair and kind face. From where we were stood, tears were streaming down her face and a smile was practically bursting from her lips. She gazed on at her daughter with wonderment, as if she couldn't be real. She was everything Sophia had described to me, I could tell.

I felt a nudge in my side as Daryl gently shoved me forward with his crossbow to get me moving again. He remained slightly behind me now as if daring me to run. I didn't and kept walking at a steady pace towards the group, who were standing in stock disbelief beside Sophia and her mother.

I wasn't met with any judging eyes when Daryl and I reached the group, their attention was far too preoccupied with Sophia to probably care. Daryl manoeuvred his way around me to stand a little a head of me, before he cleared his throat.

"You found her, Daryl, thank you, I-" Sophia's mother, Carol I remember Daryl calling her, choked out. She stared up at the hunter with a glazed expression as she held onto her daughter.

"Weren't me." Daryl muttered. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder in my direction and suddenly I felt all eyes on me. "Ruby here saved her. Look'd after her since she ran away. They've been lookin' for us for weeks." There was a stunned silence amongst the group as I waited for some sort of reply to this. I had never felt so nervous than I did, waiting for their verdict.

Suddenly, Sophia's mother rose to her feet, her eyes staring intently into mine. I expected bellowing for some reason, something harsh to come out of the fragile women's mouth. Instead she took a few steps forward until she was in front of me before flinging her arms around me and pulling me into a hug. I was shocked for a few moments as she sobbed some more into my shoulder.

The sudden contact was stunning and her close presence felt weird. I awkwardly patted the crying women gently, unsure on what to honestly do. Carol pulled away though to save me any more awkwardness, and smiled at me.

"Thank you for bringing her back to me. Thank you for looking after her." She said through her tears. I smiled back shyly and nodded once. She hugged me once more before planting a kiss on my cheek and returning back to Sophia, who was grinning profoundly.

"I told you, my momma would like you." She stated proudly. I raised an eyebrow and smiled at the little girl before turning my attention onto a man who was making his way forward.

He was tall and thin with shortly cut, dark hair. His face was kind like Sophia's mothers and he glanced at me with a small smile before turning to Daryl with a raised eyebrow.

"Found 'er nearly gettin' eaten by a couple of geeks after I found Sophia's doll in a creek. Saved 'er ass and found out she knew Sophia. Didn't trust 'er till I saw the little girl." Daryl ran through briefly. "Sophia trusts 'er, Rick." I gathered immediately that this was Mr Grimes - Rick - the one who would decide my 'fate'. Mr Grimes turned to me.

"Ruby, isn't it?" He asked. I nodded in confirmation. "How did you find Sophia?" I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off.

"Rick, the girl looks exhausted. So is Sophia." It was a thin women with long dark hair. Through process of elimination I gathered this was Mrs Grimes, as Sophia told me the other female - Andrea - was blonde. "Herschel won't mind letting her use the shower and I can find some clothes for her. Same for Sophia. Then you can start your interrogating."

Mr Grimes glanced back at his wife before nodding obediently. He was about to say something when a largely built, tanned man spoke up.

"Really Rick? We don't even know who she is and we're gonna let her in the house?" The shaven headed man piped up. I only had to glance at Daryl's angry stare to know who it was. "The hell you bring her here for, you dumb hillbilly?" Daryl made a move forward, though Mr Grimes held out an arm to stop him.

"She saved my little girl," Carol cut in, her stare directed angrily towards the man, who I gathered to be Mr Shane. "I will _not _let you throw her out. She saved Sophia and brought her back to us."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, Carol," Mr Shane spoke, flailing his arms around in an outrageous manner. "But we don't even know her motives."

"I wasn't aware I needed motives to look after a little girl." I muttered suddenly. I silently cursed myself for my random outbursts when Mr Shane turned his heavy glare towards me.

"The fuck-"

"She saved Sophia, Shane." Mrs Grimes cut in harshly. "Leave it at that." Mr Shane stared at her for a few long moments before snapping his jaw shut and folding his arms across his chest. Mrs Grimes let out a sigh before turning to me with a smile.

"I'll see if we have anymore clothes spare that'll fit." She stated, kindly. I nodded my thanks before hoisting my bag up higher and patting Toby carefully on the top of his head.

The group began to move back towards camp, and Sophia turned and gave me one last cheery grin before taking her mother's hand and expressing her desire to see Carl. Daryl remained glaring at Mr Shane's back as the large man stomped his was back towards camp before turning to me.

"Told ya." He muttered, taking the bag from my shoulders and nodding towards a tent set apart from the others. "I'll keep ya bags till your done. Don't mind me lookin' through them do you? Gotta be sure." I shook my head and nodded to Toby.

"Look after him too?" Daryl shrugged and began to make his way over towards what I assumed to be his tent. I paused for a moment before sighing. "Mr Dixon?" He stopped and turned to me. I fussed about on my belt for a few moments before unhooking my knife and gun. My bat was already shoved into one of the bags, and I held out my weapons towards the man. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm unarmed now. Suppose it'll make it easier for you people to trust me?"

"Suppose it will." Daryl murmured, taking the items from me and nodding once. He turned away again and grunted for Toby to follow. The dog did and I sighed once more before making my way over to where Sophia was stood with her mother, waiting.

* * *

"Ow." The unconscious figure grunted suddenly, startling me from my silent work.

The injured man had been placed inside one of the smaller tents and had been restrained tighter than he was before. When I arrived, I found four men sat outside, playing cards, who nodded at my appearance. I was told to inform them when he woke, and that I was to clean up the best I could.

I wasn't much of a nurse, but I had cleaned up his handless stump and rebandaged it with a new one the best I could. After that, I had set about with his smaller injuries, which just appeared to be scratches and cuts here and there. I was trying to be careful; not to wake up the man. But apparently my luck had run out.

The injured man grumbled a little and I stepped back a little as he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. His eyes darted around the tent before he set his gaze on me with a glare.

"You better get me the fuck outta this, sugar tits. Or I'm gonna do summit real ungentleman like. " He hissed, darkly. I swallowed hard before turning away and picking up the mug of water. I shuffled closer to him, carefully, and he moved backwards as I did.

"It's just water. It isn't going to kill you." I muttered. He eyes me suspiciously before letting me pour the cool liquid into his mouth. "Does anything hurt especially? Like your head or-"

"I'm fuckin' fine, ya bitch." He snarled. I raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"I tried to clean you up, but I don't know how much I've helped." I pointed vaguely to his right arm. "I'm no nurse, but you're lucky that hasn't become infected." He grunted once at this. "How'd it happen?" Yet another glare.

"Mind ya own." He hissed. I rolled my eyes and sighed, clearing up the bloodied bandages and all the rags I had used to clean him up. I could feel the man's eyes on me for a few moments before he let out an exhausted groan. "You gonna get me outta this shit or what?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." I replied, earning myself a glare. "I've been ordered to call for the men when you wake up, so I suspect you start acting nicer if you want me to prolong doing so." His eyes narrowed again, but he didn't make a sarcy reply. "I'm Ruby, by the way."

"And _I_ couldn't give a shit." I eyed the man carefully before sighing.

"You sure are a people person." I pointed out, quietly. I could practically feel his glaring gaze in the side of my head as I continued working.

"Yeah, because bein' a people person is sure fuckin' essential now, ain't it!" I shushed him quickly. "Fuckin' shush me-"

"They'll hear you." I explained quickly and the man was silenced and groaned slightly. "I'll ask you again, is there anything else hurting?"

"Ain't nothin'." He grumbled. I sighed again.

"What have you done to piss them off then?" I began.

"Ain't done shit." He grunted. "I ain't got nothin' to tell." I nodded once and glanced at the tent flaps where the sound of laughter from the men outside could be heard.

"You know what these people are?" I began, turning back to the man and talking in a quiet tone. He didn't move so I continued. "Can you smell that burning smell?" He titled his head in my direction, setting his dark eyes on mine.

"What of it? You bastards cookin' yourselves a spit roast or summit?" He grumbled. I swallowed hard.

"Not exactly." I sighed. "It's not _animal _meat, these people like to eat." It took the man a record of three seconds before he snarled in my face.

"Is that a threat?" He spat, loudly. I shushed him quickly again, glancing over my shoulder and relaxing when I heard the laughter again.

"No, it's a warning." I replied. "These people are beyond fucked-"

"Suppose if you're with them, that makes _you _fucked too." The man cut in with a grunt. I shook my head.

"I ain't." I said, firmly. "I'm trying to escape, which I think it exactly what you want right now too."

"Fuck you gettin' at?"

"Work it out." There was a long pause before the man spoke again.

"Is this some kind of fuckin' joke? Ya tryin' to soften me up so I'll trust ya 'nd tell you shit?" He demanded, leaning forward. I shook my head again.

"Certainly not." I breathed. "I know you don't trust me, but I'm telling you this anyway." The sound of laughter dying caught my attention and I knew my time was up. "I'm going to go tell them you're awake and then they'll go get _him. _He wants to talk to you, but I don't think he'll kill you. Not _yet _anyway. I'll be back later." I stood up and made my way over to the flap.

"Oh, girlie." The man grunted before I left. I glanced over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Name's Merle." I smiled slightly and nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Merle." With that I left, and came face to face with the laughing men. Now they were staring at me with expectant faces. I swallowed hard. "He's awake." I told them, blankly. They were in motion immediately and I scuttled away back to the women's side of camp to talk to Michonne immediately.

* * *

I couldn't put words to the feeling of a warm shower. It was like heaven and I relished every moment as I scrubbed myself clean of dirt and dried blood. Mrs Grimes - or Lori as she wished to be called - had left me some spare clothes and some of her toiletries to clean myself with. The best luxury of them all was the hair brush, and I was finally able to take out my knotted bun and tame my wild mess on the top of my head.

After cleaned and refreshed, I left the sanctuary of the bathroom and came face to face with an Asian boy in the hall way. He appeared to have been waiting and stood up when I exited the bathroom. He fiddled about with his hands nervously for a few moments before smiling slightly.

"Hi," He greeted. "I'm Glenn." I smiled in return.

"Ruby." I held out my hand for him to shake, which he did. "Have you been waiting to use the bathroom?" I asked, gesturing to the room I had probably occupied for over an hour.

"No, no, I just came up here to thank you for what you did for Sophia." He blurted out awkwardly. I swallowed hard, unsure if I really deserved so many thank yous.

"You're welcome, I guess." I replied, shrugging. There was a brief moment of silence before Glenn coughed awkwardly.

"And I've come to get you. The others are all waiting downstairs for you. They have some questions." He explained with an apologetic expression. I nodded.

"Expected." I sighed. "Lead the way." I smiled, which Glenn returned before he bounded down the hall with his lanky strides and I followed him down the stairs and into the crowded living space.

I expected the stares when I appeared, though I was grateful when Sophia stepped forward and hugged me briefly. Her actions relaxed me and I smiled in return when she grinned up at me. She stepped back and did a spin.

"Look at my new clothes." She announced. Instead of her t-shirt and pants from before, she was now wearing overly large floral dress with sandals. Her hair had been washed, brushed and tied up; she looked much cleaner than she did before. We _both_ did.

"Very nice." I murmured in agreement, hating the silence and attention we were getting. Sophia seemed to ignore it or just didn't care.

"It's one of mine." Sophia's mother piped in. She was smiling at her daughter, tears still in her eyes. "Far too big for her, but she still insisted on wearing it." She chuckled, taking Sophia's hand and smiling up at me. I smiled back and turned towards where Mr Grimes was stood, awaiting the bombard of questions.

The room was beyond over-crowded, far more than the number I was expecting. I was hesitant by the ratio, though thankful that I was stood by the exit incase I needed it. Sophia remained close by my side, flanked by her mother on the other. She seemed so content and radiant as she gazed around the room. She was not so intimidated as I was. She was happy to be back with her family again, that much was for sure.

"Daryl's told us his side of what happened." Mr Grimes began, breaking the silence. I spared a glance at the hunter, who was leaning against the wall with Toby at his feet. "Obviously, his part isn't the bigger picture." The leader looked between Sophia and I, and I couldn't help but see the suspicious glint in his eyes. When I glanced around, I was met with that same glint in each and every one of the group. It was mildly comforting that Daryl and Carol were the only ones who appeared to trust me.

"I'm unarmed and only one person," I began, tired and sick of the matching looks. "You outnumber me in number and strength. I have no interior motive for looking after Sophia. I found her, looked after her and brought her back to you. That's it, no secret intentions-"

"You think we'll believe that you'll risk your neck to save some strange girl? Because I hardly think this little 'rescue mission' was without any difficulties." It was Shane again. I raised an eyebrow at the burly man.

"Wouldn't you if you were in my position?" I threw back. He didn't reply.

"Ruby here has a point." An elderly man spoke up suddenly. His suspicious glint was gone now and he turned to Mr Grimes in a defiantly strong manner, despite his contradicting get-up consisting of a fishing hat and Hawaiian shirt. "Is it so hard to believe that people still have morals in this world? We judge her because she's done a good thing. Surely we shouldn't be demanding her motives, but rather praising her actions." He gestured to Sophia with a smile. "We don't know what could have happened if she hadn't have done what she did."

"Always the high and mighty, ain't that right Dale?" Shane snorted, folding his arms across his chest. The elderly man - Dale I assumed he was now - sent Shane a dark look and then ignored the younger man completely. I turned to Mr Grimes, who was studying me silently.

"Please don't make her leave, Mr Grimes." A quiet voice from beside me piped in. I felt my stomach clench as Sophia spoke. "She isn't bad. She and Toby have looked after me."

"How did you find Daryl?" Mr Grimes asked finally. "How did you know where to look?" I swallowed hard before replying.

"We went to the highway first, but you were gone by the time we got there." I explained.

"We left a sign." A blonde woman - Andrea, I gathered - spoke then. "Didn't you see it?" I met Sophia's gaze and nodded.

"Yes we did." I replied. "But we couldn't stay."

"Why not-"

"Use ya brains. Hardly think ya need three guesses to work that one out, blondie." Daryl muttered, cutting her off. Andrea stared at him for a few moments, he stared back with a raised eyebrow, before she nodded.

"We found a church, but you were ahead of us so we were too late. Our intentions then were to head to a creek as we believed you'd need to stop for water." I continued. "When we first got there, there wasn't anyone and we intended to carry on to a town further north. Sophia left her doll though so I went back for it." I nodded in Daryl's direction. "I ran into Mr Dixon and you know the rest."

"Ain't that God's miracle-"

"If it's so hard for you to grasp the fact that there are still good people in this world and that God judges the worthy and the unworthy, then I think it's about time you kept your mouth shut unless you have something productive to add." Another elderly man cut in suddenly. His eyes were blaring and held Shane's. "This is _my _farm and if you wish to stay then I suggest you listen to what _I _say rather than throwing your weight around." There was a stunned moment of silence in the room as the two men stared each other down, tension ran high.

It was broken only when Shane made a grunting noise and stormed out of the room, making sure to knock me hard with his shoulder as he passed. The front door slammed and I glanced around the room again. They were all equally as shocked as I was, but composed themselves quickly and turned to Mr Grimes.

"I'm not going to cast you out." He said suddenly with a sigh. "You're free to stay, we have enough room in camp." I smiled my thanks at the leader, which he returned.

"I do have one request though," The owner of the farm - Herschel - said. I turned to him. "This is _my _farm and as you are now going to be staying here, I would like you to hand over your firearms." I nodded.

"That's fine, though Mr Dixon has all my weapons anyway." I replied. Herschel turned to Daryl, who nodded in confirmation.

"We don't have enough tents for you to have your own but-" Mr Grimes was cut off profoundly.

"She can stay with Momma and me!" Sophia cried, grinning up at me. Carol smiled beside her, and shrugged when her daughter looked her way.

"The more the merrier." She stated, kissing her daughter's cheek.

"Daryl also said there is something else that you're going to tell me about." Mr Grimes continued. I nodded tensely and opened my mouth to explain, only to be cut off.

"Probably best ya hear the girl alone, Rick." Daryl muttered, eyeing his leader. Mr Grimes glanced at him then nodded before turning to his wife.

"Sophia, sweetie, would you like to come see Carl with me. He's been asking about you." Mrs Grimes smiled down at the little girl. She lead Sophia and her mother out the room and a door shut somewhere in the house.

"T-Dog and I'll go find Shane." Andrea announced, turning to the dark-skinned man beside her, who nodded. The pair departed.

"And Glenn and I need to be getting back to the RV. Got a lot of work to do." Dale grinned to the younger boy, patting him on the back and leading him out. As the passed, the elderly man nodded to me.

The ones that remained in the room were Mr Grimes, myself, Daryl, Herschel, three women and a young boy.

"Herschel, I suppose it's only fair for you to stay." Mr Grimes said, attention on the old farmer. He nodded.

"Thank you, Rick." He then turned to the other unnamed people who I assumed were his family. He nodded once to a woman with short brunette hair, and they left aswell to do whatever business they needed to do. I was left alone with the three men and felt a little relaxed now the room was less crowded. "Take a seat, dear." The old farmer said, gesturing to one of the small armchairs in the room.

I obliged. Mr Grimes sat himself down on the sofa with Herschel, whilst Daryl settled himself down on another armchair, Toby at his feet. I was surprised I wasn't jealous by Toby's new dependent attention-focus, but was happy that he finally had found a friend that wasn't myself.

"Tell 'em what you told me." Daryl muttered suddenly. I glanced at him then back at Mr Grimes and Herschel. I sighed and nodded before telling them my story.

"I used to be part of an old camp." I explained. Mr Grimes nodded, but didn't interrupt. "At first, it was just my sister, myself and a man called Laurent. But we came across a larger group. They had secluded themselves to a fenced off camp, which had a lot of protection from the dead. We were welcomed in and at first, we thought we were safe.

"There was a women's part of the camp, were we were sectioned off from the men to do all the domestic jobs and work for them. Laurent was made right hand man of the whoever was in charge, I didn't actually meet him until later on though I knew he called himself 'The Boss'. There was only six women when we first arrived, a little proportion compared to the number of men. I was suspicious at first by the camp, though I was reassured everything was fine. That changed though one night.

"I found out quickly that the men didn't only use the women for domestic duties." I swallowed hard. "I was working one evening when some men walked over. They left me alone, but took one of the other women, a young girl, away with them." Each of their expressions were similar; stone still and hiding fury. "It happened frequently after that, usually once a week at least." I looked down at my hands, intently. I wondered briefly about how much I should tell them. That was the extent I had told Daryl and I was unsure if I could bring myself to tell them the _full _story.

"And you escaped these _monsters_?" Herschel asked. I nodded.

"Yes; myself and two others." I replied.

"Where are they other two now?" Mr Grimes asked. I thought for a moment before replying.

"We got separated. They're probably dead now, and if not they'll think I am. Either way they're not looking for me and I'm not looking for them." I said, meeting Mr Grimes' gaze.

"This group, are they near by?" I glanced at Daryl before turning to Mr Grimes again.

"The reason why Sophia and I couldn't stay at the highway was because they were there." I told him. "They got ambushed by some of the dead though, so we were able to get away quickly. I was spotted by Laurent. I don't think he'd give me away, though he saw me so I don't think they'll have moved camp very far if he had a say in it." Mr Grimes raised an eyebrow. "I've ran into him a few times after I escaped. He tries to bring me back to camp, but I refuse."

"Do they pose a threat?" Herschel asked, voice tight. I swallowed down the lump that kept creeping into my throat.

"They're strong and dangerous, but I'm unsure by how much they're numbers have been reduced since the attack on the highway. They have weapons, which I'm sure you do too. In my opinion, they are a threat. Though I don't know if there's even a chance they'll come across this place. They prefer to stick to open roads and towns, where they can house their large numbers." The two men on the sofa nodded.

"Thank you, Ruby." Mr Grimes said, smiling slightly. His expression seemed strained though and I gathered that it was due to the information I had just given him. He turned to the hunter. "T-Dog is on watch tonight, you need to rest." He told Daryl, firmly. "Take Ruby to Carol's tent with her stuff, Herschel and I need to discuss a few things." He ran a hand across his face and Daryl rose.

"Unless there's something else you think is important to tell us, my dear?" Herschel asked, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.

There was brief moment when I almost did. I almost told them the final part to my story with the other camp. But something had clamped my mouth shut and I was unable to confess _that_ part. Instead I shook my head.

"No, that's it." I responded weakly. The older man studied me for a few moments before nodding. I gathered I was free to go, so rose and followed Daryl towards the door. I stopped though before I did, turning back to the two men. "Thank you, for letting me stay." Mr Grimes smiled brightly at me.

"Thank _you _for what you've done for Sophia." He replied. I smiled slightly in response and left the room, following Daryl out of the farm house and towards camp - which I could now call my new _home_.

* * *

_(Author's Note): A monster of a chapter! The longest by far, I reckon. And a quick update, I sure am spoiling you! This is to make up for my rubbish updating and also to keep you filled whilst I have yet another busy week. This will be the last update, I reckon until Thursday at least, so hopefully you'll forgive me for that!_

_A lot going on in this chapter! Sophia's reunion with the group - which I definitely don't think I've done justice too. And there's the introduction to the group and the farm. Again, I think I'm rubbish with characterisms, and Shane is one I'm worried about here. I hate to make him 'the bad guy' all the time, but it's difficult sometimes. And also, I have a strong dislike towards Lori - which I'm surprised at how I've portrayed her so far. Please tell me if you think a certain character wouldn't act a certain way and I'll change it. I hate it when canon characters are OOC. And of course there's Merle's portrayal - lot's of effing and jeffing on his behalf, I'm afraid. Anyone want to work out how Ruby makes her escape AND who with? ;) _

_Thanks for the reviews/favourites/alerts so far. I appreciate them a lot! Fingers crossed I'll have an update up for you lovely people soon. _


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_Chapter Thirteen_

Michonne was intently curious about the arrival of obnoxious Merle. I told her in hushed tones by the camp fire of the restrained man across camp and of everything I had witnessed that afternoon. The dark-skinned woman remained silent as I ran through the details, her dark eyes studying me and preying on every word. It was times like this, I wished I knew what my curious friend was thinking.

"How long does it usually take before they, er, you know," I stuttered awkwardly after finishing my story. Michonne raised an eyebrow and I swallowed hard. "How long does it take before they _eat _the guests?" I forced out. Michonne's expression tightened and she glanced over my shoulder towards the opposite side of camp.

"Your foul mouth friend will survive the night, I'm sure." She sighed finally, setting her eyes back to me. I nodded once before meeting her gaze again, defiantly.

"I'm not letting them kill him." I told her. Michonne didn't even look surprised.

"You don't know him." She pointed out, half-heartedly.

"That doesn't give them the right to use him as their evening _dinner_." I hissed back. Our conversation paused as Clare shuffled past us awkwardly. The blonde woman didn't make eye contact, though the pair of us watched her movements as she passed by and entered her tent. Once she was gone, we resumed our conversation. "When do we plan on leaving?"

"Soon." Michonne muttered. "But if you're wanting to bring an extra guest, then that means soon_er."_ I nodded once.

"I can't leave him." I repeated again. "We've stood by for so long as they've raped, killed and _eaten _people. I've been fortunate enough not to witness any of these horrors for real; I haven't seen any of these people they are eating, and have long past ignored their visits into camp to take women - thankful I have never been one of the unlucky few. But I've _met _him, Michonne. I've _spoken _to him. Merle is a real person, who they intend on murdering for their own pleasure and stomachs. I can't just sit back now." Michonne studied me in silence for a few moments before averting her eyes past me again.

"We can use the van they brought him in for our getaway." She spoke up suddenly, nodding in the direction of the isolated white van. "None of the men use it or go near it anymore. We can pack our stuff in gradually and have it ready for when we want to leave. Interrogation will probably be nearly over by now and you'll be called over to clean up your friend, no doubt. Tell him that we plan to leave tomorrow evening, he won't be kept alive any longer than that. Distraction is our key if we want to get away without too much attention."

"And how do we intend to distract them?" I asked. Michonne thought a while.

"We need to draw the attention from the guards at the gate, so we can get out. The only way I can think of doing that is with the help of our undead friends on the outside." She glanced at me with a darkened expression. "On average, about five walkers come across our camp daily and are dispatched _quietly _with a knife or blunt object of some description. _No guns; _otherwise that'll draw attention."

"So, we shoot one of the dead, draw more to us and overrun the camp?" I asked, piecing together our plan. Michonne sighed.

"Figuratively, yes." She nodded. "We'll need to create an opening in the fence though so they can get in, though that'll have to be done sometime tomorrow. We'll set the ball rolling first, bring the dead in, then get your friend and make our escape."

"Sounds easy." I muttered. Michonne chuckled without humour.

"It never is though, is it?" She sighed.

* * *

The first night I spent in camp was something of a dream.

After having my stuff put in Carol's tent, I was fussed over by Sophia as she returned back from her visit to Carl. She told me about her friend and how he had been shot. The little girl didn't seem upset though and told me about how she couldn't wait for me to meet her friend. Sophia's mother helped me unpack, all the while chattering about her daughter, telling me stories from their past and thanking me several times in the middle of our conversations.

Once we were done, Carol led Sophia and I around camp. For _my_ purpose, it was to introduce me properly to everyone, and it was a tour in _both_ our purposes. I also learned the names on the unnamed members in the camp 'meeting'. The two youngest of the women were Maggie and Beth; Herschel's daughters. The remaining women was Patricia and the boy was Jimmy, a friend - or perhaps boyfriend - or Beth's.

_They were all friendly enough, _I noted, _besides Shane_. It was different from my previous camp; there was no suspicion radiating from this group. There were probably more suspicious of _me _than I was of _them. _It was different. In a good way.

Toby had taken to following Daryl around and I had not seen the dog since the hunter led me to Carol's tent, after handing me my bags with a nod. The presence of people and the lack of canine was an odd feeling. Sophia's constant appearance was a set reassurance and I was grateful for the young girl and her beaming attitude.

It was the first night I had slept on something comfortable and it was by far the best night sleep I had had since the start of the outbreak. I half expected to wake up and to be lying in an uncomfortable tree somewhere, with only Toby as my company, having dreamt it all. Instead I woke up to the calming sounds of my tent mates' steady breathing as they slept through the night with the blissful thought that they were _together _again.

At first, I lay there completely still. I wasn't quite sure what to even do. Outside the tent there was a calm and distant chatter beyond the sleepy breathing. Unable to remain in the tent any longer, I got myself up. As quietly as I could, I dressed myself in some other clothes that Mrs Grimes had leant me and left the tent just as quietly.

The morning air hit me immediately and I gazed around the camp with wonder. It was unlike the previous camp in every form; so peaceful in every way - looks and atmosphere. Tents were bustled together too and there were no sectioned off gender coordination. The campfire in the middle and the washing line hanging between the trees gave the place an almost _homey_ feel. It must have been early that morning as the only people awake, beside myself, was T-Dog and Andrea who were by the RV, the former climbing down from the ladder.

After zipping the tent up behind me, I walked further into camp and towards my fellow conscious people. Andrea had climbed up the ladder once T-Dog had gotten down and had waved off the dark-skinned man, taking a seat on the deck chair placed on the roof. The man, himself, was making his way towards me, yawning and stretching.

"Good morning." I said once he reached me, keeping my tone polite and friendly as I hadn't placed _this _particular man's attitude yet. So far my categories had two extremes; Asshole (_Shane) _and Nice Guy (_Rick). _The other men I had spoken to some what properly had fallen somewhere in between; Daryl was an anomaly however, who was currently off my scale and in the 'Haven't the foggiest' section.

"It would be good if I was actually able to get some sleep last night. Goddamn watch shifts. It'll be alright if I ain't had to take Daryl's too; the redneck owes me big time!" T-Dog muttered, rubbing a hand over his bald head and yawning. He glanced at me for a brief moment before clearing his throat. "You sleep well?" I nodded.

"Better than I have done in a long time." I told him honestly. "I'd rather do a watch shift all night than have to sleep in a tree again." He chuckled.

"I wouldn't hold ya breath." With that, the black man announced his departure to bed and left, patting me on the shoulder as he passed. Now alone, I made my way towards the campfire, set on waiting for the others to wake up. My attention was caught though by a whistle.

"Hey, Saint Ruby." The blonde on top of the RV hollered. I glanced up and she motioned for me to come up. Hesitantly, I wandered over to the RV and scaled the ladder, carefully, as not to wake whoever rested within it.

Andrea's eyes were staring out across Herschel's fields, sipping a cup of something steaming as she did. Unsure what to do, I wandered closer to where she was sat, taking short steps. Once I was a bit closer, Andrea gestured to the floor beside her and I sat down. Silence passed between us as the blonde offered me whatever she was drinking (which I declined) and the pair of us stared out beyond the farm.

"I'm Andrea by the way," The blonde piped up suddenly. I glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "I haven't formerly introduced myself yet." I chuckled a little and shrugged.

"When I was with Sophia she gave me detailed accounts of all your 'adventures' together before we found you all. I practically felt like I knew the lot of you already." Andrea chuckled and a large smile appeared on her lips.

"What you did," She began carefully. "Well, I admire you for it." She glanced at me and I was unsure how to reply to it. Andrea must have noticed this and laughed again. "I'm sure you're sick of people thanking you already, aren't you?"

"There isn't any need to thank me. Like I said, it was what anyone would have done." I shrugged, though Andrea didn't look so convinced.

"You'd hope so, wouldn't you, but times have changed. People have changed. Sophia was lucky to run into you and not someone else." _Ain't that the truth; _images of The Boss and all the men blared in my mind and I chewed my bottom lip. "You been alone all this time then?" I glanced up at the blonde, noticing her averted gaze but tense jaw. I was mildly curious about her.

"All this time?" I muttered. She smiled slightly.

"Since the outbreak." She elaborated. I nodded once and thought for a moment. _Should I tell her about the other camp? _Daryl seemed adamant for me only to tell Rick about it.

"Um, no." I began slowly. "At first it was my sister, myself and a man called Laurent. He looked after us and we held up in an abandoned gas station for a few weeks. There were some, um, mix ups and we got separated." There was a long pause between us before Andrea sighed.

"I know what it's like to lose a sister too." She piped up suddenly, her tone emotionless. "She was younger than me and full of life," The ghost of a smile on her lips was clear that Andrea was reminiscing memories. I didn't have the heart to correct her and tell her that _my _sister was actually alive. "We were never really close growing up, but after all this shit happens, I knew I could never leave her." Her words struck me and I physically felt sick. _I could never leave her _- Wasn't that what _I_ had done? The realisation for what I had actually done hadn't really dawned on me until now. "I'm her big sister, you know, gotta protect her, keep her safe." _Protect her, keep her safe. _I was going to vomit. "She died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save her." A single tear ran down Andrea's cheek and her eyes glazed over and I imagined she was thinking about _that _particular moment.

"What is her name?" I asked, weakly, unable to keep silent in fear of getting lost in my own turmoil. I wanted to leave the grieving woman and run as fast as I could to find Jessica. There wasn't a moment after I had left the camp that I had really thought about the impact of my leaving. Now, though, was another feeling altogether.

_I had betrayed her. _Yes, she was a fool in her actions but she was my sister and I should have looked after her. I should have tried harder, fought for her. I was weak. I left her behind and ran like the coward I was.

"Amy." Andrea replied, wiping her tears away and smiling at me with a watery smile. "What about yours?" I swallowed the lump in my throat, my throat suddenly restricted.

"Jessica." I managed and Andrea nodded. Her expression had changed now from when she first cast her eyes on me; her gaze was softer now, with more understanding. I hated the feeling in my stomach and was all but ready to throw up over the side of the RV.

"You'll fit in here fine," She stated suddenly, her voice growing in strength again as she tried to change topic. "Daryl seems to trust you and that's good enough for most of us." She didn't need to elaborate on the _most - _Shane was by far untrusting of me. "I will warn you though, because of your gender, you'll be expected to help with the domestic issues." I raised an eyebrow, confused at her slightly harsh tone, though I gathered it probably wasn't directed at me.

"Meaning?" I probed. Andrea glanced over her shoulder at camp before turning back to me.

"Meaning, Lady Grimes will expect you to help her with the cooking, cleaning and various other pointless chores. Because you're a woman, for obvious reasons, you're not allowed to do any 'masculine' jobs such as keeping watch." She waved her hands about and smiled dryly at me, I raised my eyebrow. Yet another camp who expected me to cook and clean for them - _no, I wasn't having that. _

"And if I refuse?" I asked, bluntly. Andrea turned to me and smirked. She let out a strong chuckle and swigged at her drink, finishing it's contents.

"Then I think you and I will get on just fine."

* * *

The hours were agonisingly painful and more drawn out than normal. Activity in camp was quieter than usual and our sectioned off side had been, surprisingly, left alone for a good long time. I put it down to the interrogation going on across the way.

I waited by the camp fire to be summoned by one of the men, a basket of medicine, food, water and bandages beside me to attend to Merle when I needed to. I was no doctor, though Michonne had given me a run through of what to check when I was eventually needed before she had scooted off to prepare for our 'departure' tomorrow evening.

Finally the looming sight of a masculine figure approached our side of camp and I kept my gaze down as the drew nearer, staring into the fire in silence. A shadow stood over me and I finally looked up in acknowledgement. It was an unnamed man, but one I had recognised on my rounds between the tents. His expression was stony and hard, no hint of a smile. I raised an eyebrow in question, though already knew what he wanted.

"Come with me." He grunted, already turning away and heading back the way he came. I obliged, gathering the basket in my arms and following.

Merle was in the same tent he was in before and there was a group of five men outside the flaps. I was told to call if I required anything or needed their 'help' with the _prisoner_, which I only managed to restrain a snort at. A deck of cards was between them on the table they sat at as well as a few cans of beer - they would be amused for a while, I could tell. With a sigh, I entered the flaps of the tent and let the sounds of their obnoxious laughter become nothing but mere background noise.

My 'patient' lay with his back to me in the middle of the dingy tent. After placing my basket down, I crawled over slowly and carefully to Merle's still body. When I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, the gruff man turned over and snarled in my direction, causing me to shy away. Upon sight of me though, his face softened and the man let out a loud sigh before settling on his back.

"Thought ya were one of 'em." Merle muttered as an explanation. I assumed that was the window of acceptance I needed and set to work cleaning him up. There were fresh bruises and cuts on his body now, though thankfully after a few look overs, none seemed fatal.

"What did you tell them?" I asked, focusing my attention on his stump of an arm - apparently that had taken a large amount of the beating. Merle grimaced upon my touch, but didn't yank his arm out of my grip.

"Ain't got nothin' to tell, I told ya." He grumbled. "Wanted to know who I had been travelling with, didn't quite believe ol' Merle had been on his own. Kept yapping on 'bout other survivors. Told 'im to go to hell." I snorted at this despite myself.

"I can imagine he didn't take that well." I mused. Merle chuckled darkly.

"Ya got yourself a fuck up for a leader, I'll tell ya that, girlie." There was a long stretch of silence between us both as I worked silently and Merle lay there contently. Apparently torture had worn this man out as his voice didn't quite hold the same venom it had done before. Or perhaps he was just softening to me.

"Tomorrow." I said finally, wiping my hands free of blood on my trousers. Merle titled his head towards me and narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"That's when we're getting out of here; tomorrow." Merle was silent for a few long moments, eyes judging me suspiciously. I carried on quickly.

"We?" His voice didn't seem very convinced.

"Myself and another. We've planned a way out and I'm offering you a chance to come with us."

"Let me ask ya summit, sugar. How the fuck do I trust ya? How do I not know this is some elaborate game you weirdoes are playin' on me before ya string me up and cook me for dinner?" Merle demanded with a snarl. I raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Surely this would just be a pointless exercise when we could easily just 'string you up and cook you for dinner' right now without all the waiting?" I retorted, evenly. "I am telling you now because this is going to be the only chance _you _have of getting out alive. The Boss won't keep you for too long, I guarantee you that. We leave tomorrow because that's how long you've got left before-"

"Before I'm eaten?" Merle finished coolly. I shrugged in reply and raised an eyebrow in question. "How the fuck you wind up in this whole situation then if you're so against all this shit?"

"I came here with two others, not knowing what was actually going on. I found out too late on and I'm trapped here like you. Only _un_like you, _I _have the capability of getting out of here without help." I paused for a moment, debating whether to throw a snide remark his way or whether it would be a bad idea. "And I have _both _my hands." I decided to go for it.

Merle's eyes darkened, probably due to my final remark, but he said nothing. Merely stared at me with a stony expression and scanned my face for any lies in my words. I remained neutral and waited for the brute's verdict. Silently, I urged him to make the right one. I didn't know him, and to be honest he wasn't my favourite person in the world, but I didn't want him to die. Not when he was so helpless and unable to make his own decisions. That was the difference between Jessica and Merle; Jessica has the capability of freedom, and yet she chooses against it. That was why I _needed _to save Merle.

Finally, after a few long drawn out seconds, Merle grumbled something inaudible and sighed.

"What brainstorm ya got planned then, sugar? How you reckon you'll get us out of this?" I smiled in triumph at the redneck's acceptation. _I was saving another. _

"All you need to know is, that when the time comes you got to be ready to run. We got us a getaway vehicle and the plan will be in motion by the morning. When the time comes, I don't want any questions or arguments, you come with us and we can move out quickly. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir." Merle muttered. "Any chance I get to kill any of these fuckers in the getaway." I frowned at him and shook my head.

"No." I said, firmly. "You don't do anything but listen to _us, _got that? You're not ruining this chance of freedom. Once we're away from camp, feel free to do whatever you please but until then; you're gonna listen." Merle raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Feisty bitch, ain't ya." I sighed with a roll of my eyes, but hummed with satisfaction at the contentment of his understanding and the feeling of freedom that was getting closer and closer by the second.

* * *

It was like the outside world wasn't happening on the Greene Farm. I hadn't seen a walker for days, weeks now. Life continued on peacefully and it was something of a dream to me.

I was finally introduced to Carl, as the boy was finally allowed out of the farmhouse, having recovered enough to walk after being shot. Sophia was adamant for me to meet him and Carl seemed excited to meet me when I came across the twelve year old. The pair fussed over me for a good few hours, before diverting their attention else where and being genuinely happy in each other's company. I smiled fondly at them as I sat on a bench on the porch of the farm house.

"It's curious how a child's mind works, isn't it?" A wistful voice spoke suddenly. I glanced up to set eyes on Dale, who was stood beside the bench with a plate of food in his hands. He smiled down at me and handed me the food. I accepted it with a smile.

I knew to the camp I was still someone new. I wasn't the same outsider that I started off to be, but there was still a gap between myself and them. Though I noted that this gap was closing as the days grew on and I was glad of it; I was sick of being lonely.

Upon my interactions, I had learnt more about each member of the group, more than what I had learnt from Sophia's tales and adventures. The dynamics in this camp were completely different to my previous. There was something there that Laurent and the others didn't have; they were just together, existing along side each other because they _had _to. With Sophia's group, it was more because they _wanted _to. There was a bond between them, perhaps a family like bond. I knew from the looks in their eyes and from what they had told me, that they had been through a lot and that had made them stronger.

From my position on the sidelines, I could truly admire the group and it's togetherness. It made me have optimism for the future and I felt myself becoming more like what I was before the outbreak each day. My trust was coming back and nowadays I actually felt like I had something to smile for.

Dale remained with me for a while, telling me a story about when he was younger. I listened with interest, thankful for his company. I had grown to admire Dale and enjoy the stories he told me. His wise and all knowing nature sometimes reminded me of how my father was. His relationship with Andrea was also a fresh sight to see and I was glad the blonde had someone like Dale watching over her, especially after the pain she was obviously feeling from the loss of her sister.

The older man was called away though by Glenn to help with RV, which appeared to be constantly broken, and he left me alone with my thoughts again. I was soon joined though by the older of Herschel's daughters, Maggie, who came bearing two glasses of lemonade.

"That really is a nice sight." Maggie stated, sitting down beside me and handing me one of the glasses. Her voice was twanged with her heavy accent and I followed her gaze back to where Sophia and Carl were playing. "Always loved children."

"Never thought about having your own?" I asked. Maggie chuckled a little.

"You kidding? Daddy would kill me." She giggled. "No marriage; no children."

"At least you're still young, still have prospects of marriage. How old are you, eighteen?"

"I am indeed." She turned her head towards me for a moment and glanced me up and down. I briefly become slightly self-conscious and waited for the young girl to say something. "You ain't too old yourself though."

"Grand old age of thirty three." I muttered, sipping my drink. Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sure we could find a single _older_ hunk around here somewhere for you." I snorted.

"So, just discounting Glenn then?" I retorted, good-humour-like.

Apparently though, my comment wasn't quite the humour that sat with Maggie. She gave me a wary smile and averted her eyes instantly over to something, like her gaze was drawn away. I followed her gaze with my own to set eyes on the RV across camp, where a certain Asian youngest was working. Maggie's expression was certainly something I had seen before, one I perhaps had when I was her age. I smirked to myself but made no comment on the matter; whatever was occurring between the pair of them was most definitely not known to camp and it was likely that was how it was intended to be. I wasn't about to ruin any friendship I had with girl beside me anytime soon, so decided to attempt a subject change onto a different topic.

After my talk with Andrea on my first day in camp, my domestic chores was something left to be desired and I knew I was constantly the hot topic on Mrs Grimes' - or Lori's - lips. I knew she did not like my lack of appearance for duties such as cooking and washing. I offered to help clean farm equipment and had even taken watch a few times - usually with someone else, as the camp didn't quite trust me enough alone at the moment. I was also useful with Sophia and Carl and has the pair of them thrusted upon me when their mothers (and father in Carl's case) were busy. I helped them with their 'lessons', and generally just babysat them and kept them out of trouble.

"You going with them?" Maggie asked suddenly, nodding to the direction of the gathering group. I glanced over to them.

I knew that Rick was leading out a group to practise shooting further down the road from the farm, and though I had been encouraged to go by Andrea, never had. Laurent had taught me how to shoot and though the prospect of going with them tempted me, I never did. Perhaps soon, but not now.

"Not today." I replied, watching as the group assembled the needed guns. Today it was Rick, Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, Beth, Patricia and Jimmy that were going; leaving Daryl, Dale and Glenn as the necessary 'man power' on the farm. Lori and Carol could also be seen in the middle of camp, hanging out clothes on the thin string that hung between the trees, their children seated nearby, playing. Herschel was probably in the house somewhere. "Aren't you?" Maggie shrugged, eyes wandering back to the RV.

"Not today." She repeated, smirking at me. I raised an eyebrow in reply, not wanting to ask her the meaning behind her suddenly mischievous smile.

Soon, the Greene girl rose from her seat beside me and took my empty glass from me, stating she was going to go 'stretch her legs'. She wandered off inside to dump the glasses before she came back out, giving me a smile over her shoulder, and wandering around the house. I watched as she passed near the RV and caught the eye of Glenn, who watched as she strolled by. She passed without a word and out of sight behind the side of the chicken coop. With amusement, I watched as the Asian boy came up with some elaborate excuse for Dale, who looked far from convinced, before skipping away 'conspicuously' towards the direction Maggie had disappeared towards.

_Sly. _

I snorted to myself before rising from the bench myself and deciding a walk would do me good. I left the porch of the farm house and made my way into camp, not sure where I intended to go; just as long as I didn't have to join the two other women and their duties.

Walking without real meaning, I found myself further out of the middle of camp and onto the outskirts. It was there, by the tent pitched up slightly away from the rest, that I found Daryl Dixon with Toby at his feet. The hunter was sat with his back against a tree and a pile of stick beside him. Closer up, I saw that he was fashioning himself more arrow bolts with the aid of his knife, his crossbow not too far away.

Toby's ears perked up as I approached, which was enough to alert Daryl of my presence. He glanced up and met my gaze for a brief moment before averting it back to the job in hand. I took this as the invitation I needed and sat myself down beside the German Shepherd. Toby nuzzled his nose against my hand in greeting and I smiled slightly.

"Ya know, your mutt really needs to learn a thing or two about personal space." Daryl muttered suddenly. I chuckled a little at this.

"He likes you." I shrugged. "I can't help it if he's affectionate." The hunter grumbled something about 'dumb animal' then got back to his work silently.

Daryl Dixon was certainly a mystery to say the least. Like myself, there was a gap between him and group, though his was much more questionable. Upon observation, I noticed that the hunter prided himself with being alone. Interactions with everyone wasn't a usual thing and he didn't quite hold any strong relationships with anyone but his crossbow. Despite this, there was certainly some respect there for his leader, Rick, and definitely a softness for Sophia and Carol. I had seen the hunter make racial slurs directed towards Glenn and T-Dog, which was usually passed over or made out to be more of a pet name rather than an insult. Something intrigued me about Mr Dixon and something was definitely familiar. Alarm bells were still ringing but I _still _could not put my finger on the familiarity that was there.

"Can ya cook?" Daryl asked suddenly, bringing my attention back to reality. I glanced at the man with a frown. "Only I never seen you cookin'." I chuckled a little, remembering how observant the man, himself, was.

"According to Andrea, Lori expects all women to help with domestic duties such as the one her and Carol are doing right now." I glanced at the pair, who appeared to be gossiping about something or other. "I don't see why my gender demands a certain duty from me and are therefore acting against it. Plus I've had enough of cleaning and cooking from the last group." Daryl nodded once, but didn't look up.

"Gotta warn ya though, Olive Oil ain't too happy about your lack of cooperation. Carol don't mind at all, but Lori just won't let it go. She's havin' the same trouble with Andrea too and those two had a bit of a bust up a while back. I expect the same is headin' your way too."

"Thanks for the heads up." I muttered. Daryl smirked and finally met my gaze.

"Not sayin' I don't agree with ya though." He said. With a jab of a finger, he nodded in the direction of where Carl and Sophia were playing. "Heard her and Rick arguing over Carl before. 'pparently the kid wants to learn how to shoot. Lori is havin' none of it. Still holdin' onto her pathetic excuse 'bout him still bein' a child. What use is him bein' a child if a geek has him cornered and he ain't know how to shoot it?" I shuddered a little at the thought. "Can't shoot cos he's a kid, have to cook cos you're a woman. Swear that woman needs to sort out her priorities cos her's a fucked."

I laughed at Daryl's words, loud enough to draw attention to Sophia and Carl. The pair of them bounded over in a hurry, playful expressions on their faces.

"Can we play with Toby?" Sophia asked once they reached us. Upon the sound of his name, Toby's head perked up. I shrugged.

"Sure, go right ahead." The pair grinned and ushered Toby to follow them. Without too much coaxing, the dog got to his feet and bounded after the two children who were laughing with glee. I watched them go before turning back to Daryl, who's gaze was also watching the children. "Don't you just wish that sometimes you were still a kid? Without any hassle or worry?" Daryl turned back to me with an expression I couldn't quite place before averting his eyes again.

"Nothing is ever that simple though is it?" Daryl murmured, almost too quiet for me to hear. I frowned a little and opened my mouth to speak when Daryl cut me off. "I heard Rick talkin' to Herschel 'bout your group before."

"They ain't _my _group." I stated quickly. Daryl ignored me.

"Rick don't think this area is safe anymore and he reckons they should send out patrols to look for the group so we can monitor where they are."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, glancing over to the kids and back to the hunter again.

"Course it is. But we're in equally as much danger now _not _knowing where they are. You said yourself that they could be close by."

"But they could have gone by now." I piped up quickly. Daryl stopped what he was doing and met my gaze.

"Could?" He repeated. "You ain't sure and that's the point. They're out there and that's all that matters." Silence drew out again and I sighed.

"And what does Rick propose we do if we find them?"

"Like I said, monitor their location. Though no doubt if he informs the group, Rambo will have other ideas." I didn't need to be told that _Rambo _was _Shane. _"The ass will want to take a different approach, which will probably be an attack on the other group. An approach that will get a lot, if not all, of us killed." Daryl let my process this, going back to his bolt making, and I sighed again, running a hand through my hair and glancing around camp.

_I knew the bliss would have to end soon. _

"And what did Herschel have to say in this discussion?" I probed finally, turning back to Daryl. I was met with his steady gaze again as he paused in his work once more.

"He wants us _off_ the farm."

* * *

_(Author's Note): I recently upated this chapter, which was previously a much more shorter version of this one for those of you who have read it. I decided that I should probably do something about the length as it was far too short, so I've deleted the previous chapter and extended it. Still a bit of a filler, but I hope you all still enjoy it! Sorry for the late update, but I've been very busy and thankfully summer is here and I can crack on with some writing!_

_I've planned this story quite a bit more, though I'd love to know any of your ideas. What do you want to happen to Merle/Michonne? How will their escape from The Boss's gang go down? Any interactions between Daryl and Ruby that you'd all like to see? How do you think Ruby's dynamics with the members of the group so far are going? Would you prefer an Andrea/Ruby friendship or a Maggie/Ruby friendship - I still can't decide which one I would prefer! And a Lori/Ruby bust up anyone? ;) _

_Thanks very much for the reviews, and apologises again for the my tardiness. You're all awesome and I'd be greatful to hear from you again. Until next time, which fingers crossed will be soon! _


	15. Chapter Fourteen

_Chapter Fourteen_

I found Michonne the next morning sat in her suddenly empty tent with a blade (I later found out to be called a katana) on her lap. She sat crossed legged in the middle of the emptiness, her eyes closed and expression peaceful. I coughed lightly to make her aware of my presence.

"You've renovated, I see." I muttered, eyeing up the woman as she gazed back carefully.

"Is your stuff ready?" She asked, ignoring my comment. I nodded.

"It's all packed in my tent." I replied. She hummed in reply. "Your stuff already in the van?" She nodded.

"I'll deal with your stuff when I make my laundry round later." She told me, running a finger along her blade. "You're on cooking duty, right?" I nodded. "Try and snatch some food if you can."

"Got it." I sighed. "When are we going to start?" Michonne thought for a moment before getting to her feet, hunching slightly due to the height of the tent.

"Soon. If you have time, make a patrol around the perimeter of the fence. See if you can find any weak spots in the mesh that we could make bigger. Try and be inconspicuous and I'll deal with your baggage." I nodded and sighed once more.

"This is really it, huh?" I murmured. Michonne regarded me silently, her expression unreadable.

"This time tomorrow; things will be different." Michonne's optimism was reassuring. We'll be free and maybe, just maybe, this place will have burned to the ground."

* * *

The top of the RV made a comfortable lounger as Andrea and myself were on watch. The blonde had just gotten back from the shooting practise that day and I decided to join her on her watch that evening to get away from whatever duties Lori kept hinting at me to do. It wasn't like I was being awkward, but after the ordeal at my previous camp, I felt unobliged to join in with the domestic activities. I tried my best to help around camp as much as I could, though tried to avoid _that _particular area that came with bad memories - I was still a vegetarian too, which no one had asked about yet, thankfully.

"Daryl told me about something he overheard Rick talking about with Herschel whilst you were out shooting." I spoke up suddenly, glancing at the woman behind me. She titled her head slightly in my direction, though kept her eyes directed at the tree line.

"Oh?" She asked. I thought for a moment, rerunning my conversation with Daryl in my head and wondering how much I should tell her.

After my 'talk' with Daryl, Herschel and Rick when I first came here, the news of my previous group travelled around. They all knew, but didn't tend to talk about it. Only Andrea and occasionally Daryl and Rick would ever ask me about it. With Andrea, I had grown into the habit of telling her more than what I did the others. Still not the whole truth - no one knew about the other group's eating habits yet - though enough for me to realise that I was beginning to broaden my trust outwards and onto my blonde companion.

"He's thinking of sending out groups to look for my old camp." I told her. "So we know where they are and can keep a watch on their movements." A frown fell on Andrea's lips.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"That's what I thought." I murmured in reply, sitting up and folding my legs in front of me. "I don't think it's final yet, but that's what Daryl overheard." Andrea nodded.

"Makes sense, I suppose. Their possible nearby presence isn't exactly comforting." I hummed in agreement. Just then there was the sound of raised voices and we both glanced over our shoulders towards the noise.

The voices came from Rick and Shane, who were marching through camp, apparently in the middle of a heated discussion. Shane's face was like thunder, as usual, and Rick's was no better. This was apparently one of their worse ones. Andrea and I glanced at each other.

"What do you reckon it's about?" I wondered.

"Perhaps our current topic of conversation." Andrea muttered, turning away. "Or maybe just the usual crap; depends on who's fucking Queen Grimes at the moment."

I tried not to let my shock get registered, but I knew if I was drinking something right now, a classical spit take would have ensued. Andrea ignored my blatant look I was giving her and I sighed, only to be hushed when the voices got closer. In an attempt to look conspicuous, I looked away from the two men and lay back down again and out of sight. Andrea stared ahead as before, though I knew she was listening equally as intently.

"-how do you know that, Rick?" Shane demanded when they got closer to the RV.

"I don't understand why we're still having this conversation. It's been weeks since Ruby got here. Let it go, Shane." Rick replied just as harshly. I was surprised by the mentioning of my name, it only making me more curious.

"All I'm saying, man, is that we didn't know the girl when we let her come here. And now we know about her other group and you're just okay with that? How do we know she ain't some spy or traitor sent to lead the others here and kill us all?"

"Surely she would have done something by now if that was the case?" There was a pause of silence.

"I don't trust her." Rick let out a loud laugh at this.

"You don't trust _anyone!_" The leader retorted. "Ruby ain't doing no harm here and I'm not just going to lock her up and interrogate her just because you have trust issues."

"Lori said she ain't helping out-"

"'Lori' has a problem with women who don't do as their told." Andrea piped up suddenly, a calm edge to her tone. I glanced at the woman beside me and was slightly thankful I was hidden from sight of the two men on the ground.

"Keep out of this, Andrea." Shane hissed. Andrea chuckled.

"I'm just stating a fact, Shane." Andrea replied, evenly. "I suggest that if you don't want to be interrupted or _heard _next time take your 'discussion' else where."

"Andrea's right, Shane. This isn't a conversation to be had in front of the entire camp. Like I said; leave it, I'm not talking to you about this again. I have _better _things to worry about." Rick's voice was cool and crisp cut. There was a short pause before the sound of footsteps away was heard and I gathered one of the two men had left. Which one, I was unsure of.

"Oh and Shane, I won't be needing any of your one-to-one shooting classes anymore. Why not offer some to Lori, I'm sure she'd love to go with you?" Andrea's voice was dripping with sickly sweet sarcasm and I studied the smirk growing on my friend's face. Another set of retreating footsteps was heard and I gathered Shane had left now too. I sat up.

"You sure are a cow, you know that right?" I muttered to the blonde. She grinned at me and shrugged. "Do I dare ask about these 'one-to-one' classes?" Andrea chuckled with dry humour and shrugged. "Alright, can I ask why you won't be needing them anymore?" Andrea's smirk widened.

"Let's just say, Mr Walsh isn't a very good teacher."

* * *

My tent was empty when I returned from my cooking duty; Michonne had obviously taken care of my baggage. I glanced around the bare place I had called my home for a while and knew I would be glad to see the back of it.

Everything was currently going according to plan. Our stuff was ready to make a getaway with. Merle was informed and ready when we needed to go. Food was packed. Michonne had even taken Toby over to the van and shut him in, ready for us to leave. Setting the ball rolling was all that was left to do.

I sat in my tent, alone, for a long time before Michonne stuck her head inside and gestured for me to follow. I obliged and followed Michonne to the edge of camp and by the fence, I gathered it was time to patrol the perimeter. Not a word was spoken between us as we got on with the job at hand, walking slowly beside the fence, our eyes studying the mesh for any weak points.

When we finally came across one, it was a blessing as it was tucked away on the far side of camp; away from the men.

"This will do." Michonne stated, rummaging through her pockets before pulling out a large pocket knife. After flicking out the appropriate implement, she set about making the hole in the fence bigger, whilst I kept watch across camp.

"How long before we start the distraction?" I asked, eyes scanning the tents.

"Very soon." Michonne replied. "All we really need to do is wait for the guard switch over and attract a group of them." I glanced over my shoulder to see a small group of the dead further down the fence to where we were, already rattling at the mesh in hunger. There was only a few of them, but they were what we needed.

"How about them?" I asked, pointing in the group's direction. Michonne stopped in her work to study them before nodding.

"They'll do." After opening the fence enough for the dead not to be able to get in, but enough so we could open it quickly when the time came, we hurried back to the tents to gather the final items needed.

Michonne wielded her katana skilfully and I made a mental note to ask her about her blade when we were away from this place. I gathered if my fun, bat and knife and then turned to my dark-skinned companion.

"Who does what?" I asked, excitement building, as well as fear.

"I'll cut the fence and bring the gathering of dead we have so far in. I'll let a few stragglers in before I create the noise. Then when the men hear it, it may be too late for some." I nodded and handed her my gun, she murmured her thanks. "Once you hear the gun shot, the men will react quickly, but will be distracted enough for you to go get our handless friend. You must move _fast. _This place will be overrun by the dead once I bring them in. _Don't get cornered. _If the situation becomes too much, leave the redneck and meet me by the van. _Don't wait, _if there's no hope. Better _you_ survive than the pair of you dying in vain." I nodded obediently. "Once I've let them in, I'll deal with opening the front gate. That should be easy enough. Then I'll head to the van and we'll go."

"Do we have the keys for the van?" I asked. Michonne went into her pocket and pulled them out to show me. "Who takes them?" Michonne thought for a while before throwing them at me.

"You _should _reach the van first. Get it started if you do, so our exit can be quick." I nodded, shoving the keys into my own pockets, my hands suddenly shaking.

"Is that everything?" I asked. Michonne thought for a moment before nodding.

"I think so." She muttered. We eyed each other for a long time before Michonne held out her hand towards me. "Good luck." I took her hand in mine and shook it, tempted to give her a hug, but knew it was probably a bad idea.

"You too." I nodded, attempting to smile.

With one last bid of goodbye, Michonne turned and made her way into position, leaving me stood by the burned out camp fire to wait. It felt weird without the presence of Toby, but I glanced across the camp towards the van, knowing that he was just waiting for the bid of freedom in the back. I sighed and fingered the knife on my belt.

Darkness was beginning to cast over camp and my stomach plummeted as time grew wary.

_The wait was painful. _

Just one gunshot and things were a go.

What could have been minutes, felt like hours, but when I finally heard that echo of a gunshot boom through camp like some kind of rude awakening, I was kick-started into life again and was running full speed towards Merle's tent.

_Now for the final push._

* * *

I left Andrea's company soon after a somewhat explicit conversation about her and Shane's 'activities' and headed off to find the kids to make sure they were staying out of trouble.

As I made my way through camp though, I set eyes on Rick stood by the porch of the farm house alone and decided to venture over. The cop smiled upon sighting me, though his expression looked tired.

"You weren't there at shooting practise again." Rick noted once I reached him. "You know you're welcome to join us, if you wish." I shrugged.

"I'm fine, for the moment." I told him. Rick raised an eyebrow and I let out a sigh. "Do you trust me?" Rick's eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth to speak. "I heard your conversation with Shane and I know where _his _trust is swayed. I just want to know about yours."

"Ruby, you've done this group no wrong and I therefore find no reason not to trust you. You saved Sophia, and have every right to join our group. Don't let what Shane says bother you." The ex-sheriff ran a hand through his hair and let out a tired sigh. "My friend isn't the same as he used to be and I think it's best you just stay out of his way until he finds himself again." I processed this for a moment before nodding. "I'm sorry if we've made you feel uncomfortable in anyway-"

"No, no! I just wanted to be sure." I sighed. I turned to walk away though stopped and glanced at Rick. "Are you bothered that I don't help your wife with the domestic jobs?" My question must have taken him by surprise as Rick did not speak for a few long moments.

"Andrea has spoken to me about it. I understand that the pair of you want to find other ways to make yourselves useful to the group and I have no problem with how you go about that." I smiled slightly and nodded once more.

"Good night, Rick." I turned to go, only to be stopped by Rick again.

"Ruby, can I ask you something?" I paused and raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for the man to continue. "How did you do it?" I frowned in confusion. "Manage so long on your own? Only, we here are a large group and we have struggled to survive. How have you managed without anyone?" I thought for a moment, debating on how to answer his question.

"It was hard at first." I admitted finally. "It's hard really to describe the isolation and fear that comes with going it alone. Every day is a struggle from morning to night. Each moment you're waiting for your life to end and when I closed my eyes to go to sleep all I could dream about is pain and suffering. I lived in constant fear of everything, even myself." I paused, averting my eyes from the man's strong gaze. With a sigh, I carried on. "You tone it out. You forget about how things were before. Your emotions are hidden away because you can't afford to be weak when you have no one there to guard your back. I forgot what it was like to interact with other humans before Sophia came along. I thought I was incapable of trusting again after the last group." I glanced up and met Rick's gaze. "You think I'm a blessing to your group because _I _saved _Sophia_? I'm afraid you're mistaken, as I think it was rather _Sophia _saved _me. _She made me capable of trusting and caring again. I owe a lot to that one little girl."

And with that, I walked away. Leaving the ex-sheriff by the porch steps to his thoughts as I went to settle in for the night.

* * *

_Screams. _

The dead must have hit the female side of camp first and my stomach plummeted for a moment. I continued though, making my way quickly through the rush of people and maze of tents. The men were all passing me, sparing me no glances, as they rushed by with their guns and weapons alike. When I glanced over my shoulder, I could make out the figures that were pouring into camp now - _the dead. _Michonne was right about the gunshot, there was definitely a lot more than that original group now.

I reached Merle's tent just as the firing began and I quickly rushed in. The hillbilly was sat up when I entered, an expression implacable.

"You're late." He muttered, holding out his bound arms and allowing me to cut through the ropes with my knife. I ignored his comment and gathered up the medical bag I had left in his tent before. Quickly, I helped Merle to his feet and pulled him outside.

I paused at the entrance, glancing around at the chaos around me. _The chaos I had helped create. _

The screams were just barely masked by the gunshots and it wasn't just women screaming now. The dead were everywhere and the men were still attempting to dispatch them.

"Look out!" Merle hissed quickly, tugging my arm with his only hand. I turned just in time to set eyes on a staggering corpse coming towards us. With no time to think, I gripped the blade in my hand and stabbed it straight into the dead person's head. There was a pause before it fell to the ground.

"Thanks." I muttered, nodding at Merle. His lips were a tight line, his eyes watching me. With a sigh, I handed the man my knife before taking out my bat. Though he said nothing but nodded with appreciation. "C'mon." I lead the way towards the van.

_Madness. _That was all that could describe the world around us.

Merle and I were met with several dead trying to kill us on our ways towards the van, though we quickly dispatched them and kept moving. The white van was clear in my sights and we weaved in and around tents, past the fallen and the ones hungry for our flesh.

Suddenly though, there was an explosion that stopped everyone in their actions. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw a few tents on fire, by one of the vehicles and gathered that to be the cause. The screaming still continued as well as orders coming from somewhere in the centre of camp, which I realised was probably where Philip or Laurent was. Without another moment to waste, I tugged at Merle's arm to get him to continued.

When we reached the van, I hoisted up the back shutter. Inside was Michonne and my bags as well as Toby, who looked exceptionally happy to see me. I patted the dog once on the head before shooing him away and turning to Merle.

"Get in." I saw the man's jaw tightened and I expected a retort, though he got in without any complaints. I shut the shutter, made it secure and rushed around to the front and pulled open the door. Just when I was about to hop in, a scream erupted nearby, which caught my attention.

I knew that scream.

_Jessica. _

Caught between what to do, I glanced around to try and make out my sister and around to try and find Michonne. Neither were visible and I cursed myself for not knowing what to do.

I reacted without any thinking though.

"Wait here." I called to Merle, throwing the van keys onto the front seat and slamming the door shut behind me.

I ran back into the main part of camp without real thinking, only looking frantically for my sister. When I spotted her, I stopped in my tracks. She was attempting to crawl away as the staggering body of a man was coming towards her. I made no hesitation in rushing forward, raising my bat and whacking the man clean off his feet.

Once I was done with the body, I turned to Jessica who stared up at me with tear filled eyes. Despite all the trouble that was between us and the arguments that had occurred over the past few weeks, the vulnerability in her eyes made me stop and think. _I couldn't leave her. _She was my _sister. _

"Jessica," I helped her to her feet and glanced around quickly. "We _need_ to go."

"I need to find Philip." She stated, ignoring my comment. I looked around frantically, silently begging Jessica to not do this.

"There's no time for that, we must leave now!" I tried again. She shook her head, tears falling.

"You don't understand; I _love _him." I felt bile rise up into my throat at the statement but knew arguing would only waste time. I gripped my sister's wrist and attempted to tug her in the direction of the van.

"We have a chance to get out now, Jessica. Michonne and I planned for this to happen. This is our chance to be saved, and you _need _to come with me." I knew that I had said something wrong when Jessica's eyes turned hard on me.

"_You _did this." She murmured, eyes wide. There was silence between us as we merely stared at each other, as if the world around us was not happening.

It was then that I realised that Jessica was not my sister anymore. The look she gave me was as if she didn't quite know _who _I was, and to me she was someone I didn't recognise anymore. I missed the carefree smile on her face, the sound of her laughter when she teased me and the vulnerable look she held when she was sad. There was no traces of that in her anymore and I knew that it had been destroyed in this new change in the world. _I _was different, _she _was different; _we were both different. _

I knew right there and then that she would not come with me, and my grip loosened around her wrist enough so she could yank it away. Jessica shook her head at me with disgust.

"I did this to save _us_." I told her, blankly.

"No," She shook her head, her tone bitter. "You did this to save _yourself_." A distant call alerted Jessica's attention and I recognised it to be the sound of Philip shouting somewhere. "I need to tell him." She muttered, more to herself. "I need to tell Philip what _you've _done." Before I could say anything, she turned and she ran, leaving me completely in shock by this new revelation.

_I had lost my sister. _

A rotting hand suddenly gripped my arm and the smell of human flesh filled my nose. I had no time to react before I tripped and fell with the dead person landing on top of me. I half-heartedly attempted to hold it off, though wondered if it would be better to let them just eat me and stop prolonging my evident demise, though suddenly the dead person fell limp and lifeless.

Laurent stood over me, knife and rifle in hand, and carelessly kicked the body off me. He helped me up before staring down at me with wonder. I attempted to bypass around him though he gripped my arm hard.

"You're making a big mistake, Ruby." He muttered, eyes darkening.

"Let go of me." I hissed, struggling. He did nothing for a while, merely stared at me before he obliged and I stumbled away a little in shock.

"Be careful." Laurent stated coldly, a sickening smirk appearing on his lips. I glared at the older man.

"Oh, don't worry I will." I moved around him and was all set for leaving when his voice stopped me again.

"I'll see you around then." He called. I froze for a moment, not sure what to say.

"I sincerely hope not." With that I ran away, back through the tents and people and back towards the van. Away from Laurent, away from the hungry dead and away from my _sister. _

Michonne was pacing by the van when I eventually made it back, her eyes distraught. When she saw me, her expression hardened and I saw her hands grip her katana tighter. Her mouth opened though I cut her off quickly.

"No time, lets go." I cried, pulling open the drivers door and hauling myself in. It was only a matter of second before the other door opened and Michonne joined me in the front. I started the engine quickly.

"Glad you could finally join us, sugar." Merle's voice called from in the back. I glanced over my shoulder at him, to see a large tooth-filled smirk on the redneck's face.

"I almost left without you." Michonne muttered. I turned at her but said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow. The van roared into life and soon we were moving and speeding towards the open gates to the camp.

The screams and shooting could still be heard but they began to fade as we crossed over the threshold of camp and were speeding further and further away from it. My stomach lurched with a strange feeling and overwhelming happiness. My driving was something left to be desired but was sufficient enough as a getaway driver. I glanced in the side mirror at the enflamed camp we were leaving behind us and sighed.

"We did it." I muttered. Beside me, Michonne chuckled.

"Yeah, we did." She was grinning, I could tell. When I spared a glance at her, I saw a smile I had not seen before. A smile so full of honesty and sincerity that it made me smile too. "We're leaving the madness behind." My own smile fell a little, and I turned back to the road. I thought of my sister then, but didn't voice my thoughts to Michonne. The betrayal was still sore.

"So," An obnoxious voice called. There was a series of clatters and movement before the redneck's dirty face appeared between us, a smirk on his lips. "Where we heading to ladies?" He glanced between us, eyes settling on Michonne for a moment. "Now, I didn't realise ya friend was a nigga." I saw the dry look Michonne gave him, though saw no hurt done by his words.

"And I didn't realise _you_ were a dirty great redneck." She retorted. Merle chuckled a little.

"Lighten up, darlin', we're free!" He cried, his statement truly summing up a lot of things right now.

We were an unlikely bunch, and though we were free now there were bound to be troubles a head. Judging by the obnoxious attitude and unsurprisingly racist tone of Merle's, there were bound to be an argument or two. Though for the moment, we were content with the moment we had, speeding away in a busted up van away from the burning chaos that had all but destroyed us.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Another chapter for you all that isn't too late, are you impressed? _

_So this is the getaway from the old camp; do you guys like it? I guess to me it seemed a little rushed which I can change if everyone else thinks it's rubbish or naff. And apologises for the racisim on Merle's behalf - I really didn't want to write it but I guess you all understand that it's Merle's character and not me. _

_You guys liking this story then? I know it's probably a little slow at the moment, but I have a lot more planned out which I'm sure you guys will love! How do you like the characters then? Am I keeping the show's cast in character? Still would love to know any suggestions for Ruby/Daryl interactions. _

_Thanks for the reviews/messages/favourites/alerts etc so far, you guys are awesome. I hope to have an update up soonish for you all! _


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_Chapter Fifteen_

A few days passed by in camp and as far as I was aware, nothing else was decided about my previous group and the possible patrol missions. I had spent my time helping out around camp, usually accompanied by Andrea, or with the children. I was unnerved by the comfortableness of life and knew it would be coming to an end soon. _When I didn't know. _

When I woke up on the fifth day, I was alone in the tent I shared with Carol and Sophia. This was a usual occurrence as Carol left early in the mornings to help Lori with whatever jobs that needed to be done and Sophia was clearly an early bird.

The camp was bustling uneventfully when I exited the tent; nothing unusual seemed to be happening. Carol and Lori were gathered by the washing line, Dale was perched on top of the roof of the RV, T-Dog and Glenn were near the fire talking and the kids were playing by the Grimes' tent. The others were nowhere to be seen, but I gathered they were off doing whatever. Deciding I wasn't hungry, I ventured off to find my dog.

Daryl's tent was empty so I wandered out of camp until I came across the stables. Inside, sure enough, there was Daryl. Toby lay nearby as the hunter was occupied with brushing down one of the horses.

I frowned and observed the man silently. His attitude had changed towards me since our first meeting. Gone had the scowls in my direction and his angry tone. We were far from friends; the man would never initiate any interaction and the only times we would ever talk was when I would come to see Toby. I didn't take the lack of communication to heart though as Daryl didn't seem to talk to many people in camp. He was a loner, I had gathered from observation. He seemed to prefer to keep to himself, even his tent was pitched off on the boundaries of main camp, for his privacy I gathered. He would remain silent at dinner times and would usually remain out of the way for most of the day.

The familiarity was still there though. There was something about the man I couldn't quite place that just seemed _known_ to me. Barely seeing the man made it hard for me to distinguish this familiarity, and I had long given up on trying to work it out. It would forever remain a mystery.

"You just gonna stand there starin' all day?" Daryl muttered after a while, not even looking in my direction. I was startled by the sound of his voice breaking the silence but not by the fact he knew I was there. I took a few steps into the stables, alerting Toby of my presence and allowed the dog to fuss over me for a few moments.

"I didn't figure you'd be the kinda guy who liked horses." I stated after the long period of silence. Daryl's shoulder's shrugged.

"Gives me summit to do." He told me and we were back to silence again. I had to fix that.

"I remember, when I was younger, my parents enrolled my sister and I into some horse riding lessons." I began, aimlessly, not really caring that I was rambling. "I hated the idea, but Jessica dragged me into it. I was only thirteen at the time and I remembered the teacher leading this, what I would call, monster up to me and told me this would be the horse I would be riding for the duration of my lessons. A large white mare by the name of _Angel_." I snorted with laughter, patting Toby on the nose. "An appropriate name." Daryl remained with his back to me, though he had stopped brushing the horse. "Anyway, on my first lesson, my teacher told me I would be riding the horse whilst he held the rains; just to get me used to Angel. Not even a minute on the horse and something went wrong. Something must have spooked the damn animal. One minute I was sat on it's back, shaking with fear, next thing I knew it Angel had reared up and I was on the floor. Broke my arm and I never went back there again." Daryl turned to me with a raised eyebrow and I shrugged. "I hate horses."

I didn't expect a chuckle from the hunter, so I was pleasantly surprised when a smile appeared on Daryl's face and laughter erupted from his lips.

"Grew up with 'em." Daryl muttered. "Been thrown off them plenty of times but each time I just kept getting back up." I frowned.

"Then you're just either really brave or really stupid." I retorted. Daryl smirked.

"_I _ain't afraid of no horse." I raised an eyebrow.

"Neither am I." As if on queue, one of the horses from the stalls I had my back to decided to stick it's head out and startled me. I jumped back and yelped, proving his point. Daryl sniggered and I frowned at the offending animal.

"Sure you ain't." He nodded, turning back to the horse and continuing his previous activity. The silence was back again and I decided I didn't like it. I much preferred it when the hunter wasn't so solemn and grumpy. Though he didn't talk much, he had a nice smile, however it was a rare occurrence to see said smile. Though it was a smile I was determined to see again.

"Toby hasn't been giving you much grief, I hope?" I piped up.

"Damn mutt won't leave me alone for starters." Daryl replied. He glanced over his shoulder at the dog in question and for a brief moment met my gaze. "It's a wonder how a dog has actually managed to survive so long and how you've managed to survive with 'im. Would think the animal would only get in the way. Make too much noise and attract geeks."

"Toby's a good dog."

"From what I've seen, I reckon he's made a good companion." Daryl agreed.

"If it wasn't for Toby, I don't know how long I could have lasted." I admitted, ruffling the dog's ears. Daryl nodded and hummed.

"Does he hunt?" I frowned at the question and Daryl glanced at me when I didn't answer. "Seems like he could be a good hunting dog, especially after all you've said 'bout him." He paused to glance at Toby. "I was thinking of takin' him with me next time I go huntin'; see him in action." He met my gaze again. "If that's alright with you?" I was startled for a few moments by Daryl's question and paused for a moment.

"Um, I can't promise he'll listen to you. He answers to my commands, but I don't know about anyone else." I told the man, Daryl nodded.

"He could come in useful." Daryl told me. "He's a strong mutt, sharp teeth and claws. I can imagine he's taken a few geeks down in his time?" I nodded, silently. "I could use an extra help with hunting, and can imagine it'll be sure easy to train him to command to me." Daryl patted the horse beside him went into it's stall to put away the brush he had been using on it. When he immerged, he shut the stall door behind him and turned back to me. "I'll try him with a few simple commands in camp, practise before I go huntin'. If he responds to them, then I reckon I'll be fine with him out in the forest. If he don't," He paused and exhaled deeply. "Then you can come along with me too." I raised an eyebrow at this.

"What?" I asked, astonished by the suggestion.

"If he only responds to you, then it would only make sense you came along." Daryl shrugged, his demeanour getting tense and uncomfortable.

"I thought you preferred to hunt alone?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do." Daryl nodded. "But I reckon the mutt will be useful and I wanna see him in action." I stuttered over my words, my mouth opening and closing like a wordless fish for a few moments before I could string a sentence together.

"I don't want to get in the way." I admitted, knowing I would be more of a burden than an asset when it came to hunting with Daryl.

"You've been on ya own longer than anyone in this camp, I reckon you've cottoned onto ya senses more than you realise. If ya need help, I'll be there." He shrugged. "You don't gotta if you don't wanna." He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly and I glanced down at Toby.

"Okay." I nodded finally, somewhat awkwardly myself. "Just tell me if you need me." Daryl nodded and walked past me, leaving the stables. Toby paused before trotting after him and I frowned in thought. _What an odd turn of events._

* * *

I don't know how long we had been driving for, but I knew we would have to pull over soon and rest. As the driver, I waited patiently for any orders Michonne was willing to give me and went as she directed.

We needed to get as far away as we could from the camp. Thankfully with our head start and the knowledge that they would be too occupied to come after us for the time being, I was feeling a lot calmer about our situation. Merle had long been silent in the back of the truck. At first he was lively and throwing comment after comment our way, but they had soon died down. I gathered the man was resting and I longed to do so myself.

"Pull in here." Michonne's monotone voice spoke up suddenly. I brought the van to a halt by the side of the road. There wasn't really anything to be seen apart from various abandoned cars so I wondered why Michonne had made us stop here. "We need to get a faster vehicle." She explained as if sensing my confusion. "The van is too slow and too noticeable. We hotwire one of these cars and get moving again, it'll be harder for them to track us then."

"You sound so sure that they'll be after us." I noted. Michonne didn't answer and got out the van, slamming the door shut behind her. The sound woke up Merle.

"We stopped?" He grumbled, tiredly. There was the movement of shaking as Merle clambered his way up to the front of the van to stick his head over the seats. "Where the nigga gone?"

"To start up a car and please don't call her that." I muttered, throwing a look over my shoulder at the man. Merle merely grinned.

I got out and opened the shutter for Merle and Toby before gathering our bags and looking around for Michonne. She was currently by a red pickup truck and seemed to be having some luck. The engine roared into life and she turned back to us.

"This seems to be alright, tank of fuel and everything seems to be running just fine." She called, making her way over and taking her bags from me. We dumped our stuff in the back and Toby jumped up obediently with them.

"Who's driving?" I asked. Glancing at Merle, I said. "_You're_ ruled out." He raised an eyebrow.

"Just cos I ain't got a hand, don't mean shit." He growled. "I can drive just fine, if not better than you _broads_." I rolled my eyes and turned back to Michonne.

"I'll drive, you've done enough already." She said, making her way around the vehicle and getting into the drivers seat.

"You wanting to ride in the cab or the back?" I asked, turning to Merle. He frowned.

"Ya ain't putting me in the back seat 'gain. It's so fuckin' uncomfortable!" He retorted.

"Fine, you can ride in the cab with Michonne." I huffed, hauling myself into the back with Toby and the bags. "Mind shutting that?" I asked the man. Merle obliged with shutting the back of the car.

"Kinda fuckin' name is _Michonne _anyhow?" He muttered, making his way towards the cab door.

"Be nice." I warned. "We haven't got time for your racial bullshit anymore." I glared at the man and watched as he chuckled.

"Pretty ladies like you shouldn't swear." He sniggered. I merely continued to glare as he got into the cab and shut the door behind him.

I noticed the grimace from Michonne as she saw who would be joining her upfront, though she got the car moving anyway. I sat beside Toby in the back of the pickup, watching the world go by, hoping that the pair in the cab weren't arguing _too much_, and wondered where this new world would lead us to next.

* * *

Word had gone around camp to meet in the farmhouse pretty quickly. I made my way inside with Daryl and set myself by the entrance of the main room of the house, whilst Daryl leant against the wall next to me. Most of the group were already there, save for Rick, Shane and Herschel. The rest of us waited for their appearance.

I turned to Daryl, who had immerged himself into the activity of glaring into the wall opposite. Reasons were unknown.

"Do you think this is about my other group?" I asked the man. Daryl glanced at me and shrugged.

"Couldn't say." He replied. "More than likely though."

Just then the three remaining members of the group appeared and the room fell silent as we waited for this unofficial meeting to commence, all wondering why we were congregating today.

"Is everyone here?" Rick asked, glancing around. Upon confirmation, he sighed. "I have called this meeting today because Herschel and I believe we may be currently under threat." The look Rick gave the old farmer was full of distaste and I gathered it was due to the fact Herschel's argument would be one demanding us all off his land. Rick's gaze then fell on me with an apologetic look. "Thanks to Ruby, we are aware that there is another group nearby."

I felt everyone's gaze glance at me, though I urged myself to continue staring at the floor.

"A larger group, I believe. A stronger group-"

"Now, Rick, we don't know that." It would be _Shane_ to interrupt. "You're only taking the word of one person, someone we barely know." I glanced up at the cop and met his distrusting gaze.

"I'm not lying." I told him, firmly. Shane raised a smug eyebrow.

"Most of us don't even know the full story. The girl only told you, Rick."

"_I_ was also present when the young lady here told us her tale." Herschel piped up. "And I strongly believe every word that came out of her mouth. If you insist on causing hassle, you can leave."

"I was there too." Daryl muttered beside me, offering his keep though said nothing more.

"Oh, cos I'm gonna trust the word of the inbred hillbilly-"

"What do you propose we do, Rick?" Lori cut across Shane loudly, staring pointedly at her husband and ignoring the look Shane sent her. "You say this group is bigger than us, stronger than us and close by. We are then under threat, so what do we do?"

"Herschel and I have been discussing the idea of patrols." Rick stated. "Sending out small groups to locate the group so we know _where_ they are and if we are in any danger."

"Sounds a bit vague." Andrea muttered, folding her arms.

"And how do we know this other group is a threat? How do you know that they're bad people?" Dale asked, diplomatically. I didn't hold this statement against the man as he was uninformed like most in the room.

"A favourite past time for the men in the group was to come over to the female part of camp and _pick_ a girl for the night. They would drag the chosen girl away into their tent where they would proceed to do _what they wish to her. _In the morning, the girl would return alone and usually injured. I cannot count the endless nights I have spent listening to the sobbing of the women as I tried to sleep." I muttered without any emotion, staring at Dale. "The leader of the group took my sister as his own and brainwashed her into loving him. She was his play-thing. That's what all of us women were." I paused, glancing around the room. "None of you know the half of what they've done." I turned back to Dale. "But I can assure you that they _are _more than just _bad people._"

There was a long silence in the room, which was deafening. I didn't regret what I had said, and didn't care about the number of eyes now watching me. They _had _to know. They had to be warned. _But why didn't I just tell them the whole truth? _

"How many of them are there?" Lori asked, breaking the silence, and directing the question at me. I shrugged.

"When I was in the camp there was over thirty at least. The numbers will have dropped considerably now though." I muttered, thinking about the night I got away.

"How do you know?" Shane asked, folding his arms, his eyes boring into me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I grouped together with another woman in camp; we planned to escape. The camp was fenced off from the outside world and patrols were made around camp to dispatch of any straggling dead - this was done quietly. The other woman-" I swallowed the lump in my throat down hard. "_Michonne _and I cut a hole in the fence one night and fired a shot to alert the attention of any walkers nearby. We made our escape with one other person and the camp was left in chaos. I'm not sure how many survived."

"How do you know this group is still out there then? Surely there's a chance that the walkers killed them all?" T-Dog asked. I glanced at Sophia, who was clutched by her mother, and shook my head.

"When Sophia and I returned to the highway to look for you guys, some men from my group came to loot some of the cars." I told him. "There must have been about ten or so guys that were on the highway, so I can gather that there would be a few more at least." T-Dog nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"So we just gonna take your word for it-" Who else but Shane?

"Ruby's telling the truth!" Sophia piped up, glaring at the man. The outburst shocked Shane and he didn't speak, allowing Rick to cut in first.

"So you see that we have limited if not only one option now." Rick continued. "We send out patrols in hope of finding them and monitoring their movements or we wait blindly and in fear that they'll attack any day." Herschel cleared his throat.

"And there is also the matter in which I must strongly put forward, Rick." The man said, eyeing the ex-sheriff. Rick merely glared at the man.

"What _matter_?" Lori asked, waiting for her husband to answer. Rick ignored her.

"That isn't part of _this _discussion." He said, ending anything Herschel had to say. I glanced at Daryl, who met my gaze with a raised eyebrow. "_Now_, we must talk patrols."

"Well, if there is another group like you said, perhaps they'll be holding up in a more secure location rather than the forest?" Maggie asked. "Perhaps the town?"

"That was overrun with walkers last time I went." Shane retorted, a funny look in his eye. There was a timid gasp from one of the woman - Patricia - and there was a brief moment of silence. I guessed there was something I didn't know there and made a note of asking Andrea later.

"But _they_ don't know that." Maggie muttered, glaring at the man, and rubbing Patricia's back affectionately. "That's the biggest place on the map nearby, chances are they've found themselves a camp nearby for supplies."

"What about the town you go looting in?" Rick asked, directing his question at Maggie. She shook her head.

"Too small and out the way to be anything noticeable. They would have gone to the bigger town first." She said, glancing sideways at Glenn, who had suddenly gone red.

"Just in case, is it worth making another trip to the pharmacy to gather as much supplies as possible in case they come across it? Lessen the trips out of the farm?" Rick suggested, glancing between Herschel and Maggie. Father and daughter shared a meaningful glance before Maggie nodded.

"I could go today. Be real quick." She said. After a pause though, she added; "An extra pair of hands might be useful though?"

"I could go?" Glenn suggested, far too excited. Herschel coughed loudly and Rick sighed.

"Maybe it would be best if someone else went? I'm gonna need you, Glenn, when we discuss patrols later one." Glenn looked down-hearted but nodded anyway. Maggie looked unfazed. Rick glanced around the group before meeting my gaze steadily. "Ruby could accompany you." I was totally thrown off by his offering, but remembered my conversation with the leader about how I wanted to do more active things, rather than domestic things, for the camp. I nodded my appreciation at Rick before turning to Maggie. The girl was smiling and grinned when she met my eye.

"I'll saddle up a horse." With that the girl left the room and her exit appeared to have brought the meeting to an end, as people began to rise from their seats and vacate the room. I, however, was more preoccupied with what Maggie had just said.

"Horse?" I muttered to no one in particular. The man beside me chuckled.

"Time to face your fear, girl." Daryl sniggered, leaving the room and the farmhouse with Toby in tow.

* * *

I wasn't quite sure how long we had been driving for, before Michonne finally pulled the car up in a small gas station and said we'd be staying here for the night. Memories of when Laurent, Jessica and I held up in a gas station much like this one, flashed into my head as I jumped down from the truck.

After emptying the truck, the three of us - and Toby - stood staring up at the empty gas station, saying nothing. The wind was blowing, and the only sound was that of the shop's creaking sign in the breeze. I glanced at Michonne beside me.

"We goin' in then, or just starin'? My ass is freezing here." Merle muttered. I sighed and Michonne walked forward, gripping her katana tight in hand. I turned to Merle and handed him my knife, which he took with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't wanna leave you unarmed." I explained, raising my own bat.

"Cheers, sugar." Merle replied, eyeing up the blade appreciatively.

"I expect it back." I told him, firmly. Merle merely smirked and we followed Michonne to the door.

Inside it was hauntingly quiet. I left Toby outside to watch, which the dog was less than pleased at, whilst the three of us scanned the shop. Michonne covered the back office, leaving Merle and I to the main shop and toilets. I remained beside Merle as we wandered down the aisle's quietly. I had to hand it to the redneck for actually _shutting up _for a change and felt mildly comforted in his presence.

Soon though, we broke off as Merle took to one part of the shop and I was left with the sickening job of the toilets. Cautiously, I made my way to the door, a feeling of fear in my stomach as I raised my bat and pushed the grimy door open. It did with a creak, which I cursed under my breath. I paused to listen to movement before venturing inside, letting the door shut behind me.

After thoroughly checking the women's toilet, I found it empty and I sighed with relief. Though my anxiety picked up again when I remembered I still had to deal with the men's. I repeated the same cautious actions as I approached and opened the door and proceeded to check the stalls. When I came to the final stall, I hate to admit it, but I let my guard down. I had already come to the conclusion that we were safe and was sloppy.

_This mistake nearly cost me. _

Just as I was about to leave the toilet to alert the others, a rotting hand gripped my shoulder and rank breath filled my senses. I barely let out a scream as I attempted to shove the dead man off me, though this one was much stronger and was clawing at me hungrily. I took my bat and tried to aim for the head, though only managed to clip it's side. It was enough to release it's hold on me and it staggered back. When it came at me again, the grip on my bat was loose and my weapon fell to the ground in vain and I was left unarmed as the dead man came at me, intentions of ripping me apart.

Just when I thought it was over, I was shoved aside and my head hit the sink I fell against hard. My vision was blurred but I could make out to figures now; one on the group and the other over it. There was the sounds of crunching and grunting before suddenly everything went silent. My vision remained fuzzy and I raised a hand to my head where it hurt the most. I encountered something wet and didn't need to guess what it was.

"You alright?" A gruff voice asked. I recognised it immediately but didn't answer, my head was ringing and I was still trying to focus. Someone crouched in front of me and I knew the figure to be that of Merle's. "Ya bleedin'." He observed with a mutter. I had no energy to reply, but felt my arm being slung over something and the action of being hauled to my feet.

Merle helped me out of the toilets and my vision began to focus, though my head still pounded. He set me down beside the counter.

"Yo Micky!" He called. After a few moments, an angry looking Michonne appeared from the office, her gaze directed at Merle.

"Don't call me that." She growled. Merle ignored her and pointed at me. She turned to me and frowned. "What happened?"

"Ol' Ruby met a guy in the toilets, tried to get a little too friendly. I shoved her into the sink by mistake so I could slug the bastard." Michonne turned on the redneck then, her glare heavy.

"By _mistake_?!" She demanded. I saw the dark look on Merle's face and the snarl on his lips.

"Hey, you listen here-"

"Merle saved me." I cut in quickly, silencing the man. "It was an accident. If it wasn't for Merle, I would have been eaten." I told the dark-skinned woman firmly. She didn't say anything for a few moments, merely pursed her lips tightly together before reaching forward to check my head.

"Does it hurt?" She asked.

"Nothing more than a headache." I muttered in reply. Michonne nodded.

"It doesn't look serious. I'll go find something to bandage it up with and see if there's any painkillers in the back." She then turned to Merle. "Get the dog in and start boarding up." Merle raised his eyebrow and made to retort, though Michonne turned on her heel and left before he had the chance. The man settled for glaring after her.

There was a long silence as Merle stared after her, contemplating what to do. He settled for obliging to her wishes and made his way over to the door to let Toby in. Once inside, Toby bounded up to me and began fussing. I patted him lightly and glanced over to the redneck, who was busy with his orders, a scowl on his face.

"Hey Merle." I called. He stopped and turned to me, a raised eyebrow on his face. "Thank you for what you did. You saved my life." I paused and sighed. "I owe you one." Merle then chuckled and shook his head.

"_You _saved me from that camp, sugar. Reckon that makes us even now, don't it?" I smiled, which he didn't return. I didn't mind.

* * *

I wasn't particularly thrilled about the prospect of riding a horse. What I meant by _thrilled _was that I was down-right terrified. I walked aimlessly in camp, waiting for Maggie to come get me, trying to talk myself into getting onto whatever _beast _she was going to bring to me.

My prayers were answered though when Maggie walked over to me, not a horse in sight, and a disheartened look on her face.

"Can't take the horses, I'm afraid." She told me. "Just went over there to saddle a couple up and Daryl told me we couldn't use any of the equipment. Said he had started cleaning them before we knew about this trip into town and that the saddles and harness' won't be able to be used today."

"Guess he was just trying to do a nice thing. Wrong timing, that's all." I offered, my stomach doing leaps of joy. Maggie nodded.

"We'll use the pickup, I'll meet you over there in five?" Once I nodded, Maggie left and made her way back towards the farmhouse to gather her things.

I watched her go and then turned to go thank the hillbilly, only to find him walking towards me. In his hands were my weapons. I eyed them hesitantly and waited for him to reach me.

"Figured you'd want these when you make the trip." Daryl said, holding them out to me. "Can't be too careful, huh?" I smiled slightly and accepted them. Holding my weapons again was a strange feeling, though I quickly tucked my knife and gun away quickly and gripped my bat comfortably.

"Thank you." I told him. Daryl nodded once and turned to go. "Thank you for what you did, as well." The hunter froze in his steps and after a pause, turned back to me with an innocent expression. "With the horses."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Daryl said in a tone that said otherwise. My smile grew wider and Daryl nodded once more with acknowledgement. He turned to go again and I did the same, only to be stopped again by the sound of his voice again. "Be careful." It was my turn to stop now and I turned back to the man, ready to say something back, only to be met with his retreating figure.

_Perhaps I had imagined his voice? _

With a frown, I turned and carried on my way towards the pickup, glad to be travelling on wheels rather than legs.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Oh dear, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Really sorry about that! I've just been real busy, but I hope this latest update will make up for it! _

_Thanks (Once again) for all your comments and messages, you really mean a lot to me. I know this story is lagging, but bear with me; I have some stuff planned which I hope you will enjoy. I'll try make the updates long so it quickens the pace up a little. _

_Apologises if Daryl seemed out of character here. I've slightly brightened his character from what it is in the series. This is because of the presence of Sophia. I think if they'd have found her, Daryl would have been more involved in the group and a little more chipper. It wasn't Sophia's death that isolated him, so obviously with this story, he's going to be different. From what I've planned, this story doesn't quite stay as true to the series as some may expect. Yes, there is still the back stories of Lori's preganancy and the walkers being in the barn, but those won't quite develop as they did in the series. I've done this because I think sometimes it gets boring reading something you could easily just watch on the TV show. Ideas will still be used from the series, but I just wanted to inform all those who will be expecting an action by action account of events in the series but with Ruby and Sophia's presence. Just so you know :) _

_Please take the time to leave a comment, critism is always welcome as I only want to better myself. If I'm doing something wrong or anyone is out of character then put me in my place at once! :) Thanks again and I'll try have an update up soon. _


	17. Chapter Sixteen

_Chapter Sixteen_

We had made camp inside the main shop of the gas station and had locked and attempted to barricade the doors. A makeshift dinner was prepared by Michonne with various supplies that were found on the shelves of the store. It was obvious that someone had been before to gather supplies, though there was still a range of food and stuff left for our taking.

Michonne had bandaged up my head and had given me some painkillers which she found in a drawer in the back. We ate in silence, our situation just hitting us.

"So, what happens now?" I asked, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence. No one answered. "We've not discussed this part." I eyed Michonne carefully.

"We have limited options." She shrugged. "We could go our separate ways or we can stick together. Guess our main priority, whether we stay together or not, is to get as far away from those people we've thoroughly pissed off and stay alive."

"Hear hear." Merle muttered, eyes on his food.

"What would _you _propose we do?" I asked, ignoring Merle, and waiting for Michonne's reply.

"I can't make the decision for you." Michonne shrugged. "Honestly, I believe we may be stronger together, and I believe we have a better chance of survival as a group."

"I have no where to go." I began, sighing. "I wouldn't even know where to even begin if I went out on my own." Michonne nodded once and turned her gaze towards the surprisingly silent hillbilly.

"What about you?" She demanded, monotony. "You're can leave us _broads _now, you have no obligation any more. You're free to do as you please." She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Or you can stick around."

"Ain't decided yet." Merle muttered, falling silent and staring at the opposite wall. Michonne narrowed her eyes and sighed.

"I haven't got anyone left." She started, raising her eyes to the ceiling. "That camp was all I have known, my life before this shit happened is gone. I have _nothing_ anymore, no where to go, nothing to strive to." She sighed deeply again. "I ain't got anyone looking for me and I haven't got anyone to look for." Michonne met my gaze with a slightly smile. "Guess surviving is my main priority now."

"Mine too." I shrugged. "I haven't got anyone neither." I ignored the thoughts of my sister and Michonne nodded once with understanding.

"You got anyone left, Merle?" Michonne asked, turning back to the man. "Anyone to look for, or who's looking _for_ you."

The man's jaw clenched tightly and Merle's only hand instantly grabbed his opposite forearm and he gazed down at where his other hand once was. There was an odd look on the man's face, one of thought and anger. _Betrayal? _His brow burrowed and his lips tightened to a thin line.

"Ain't got no one." He breathed, his lips barely moving. Out of the corner of my eye, Michonne nodded once. "Though that don't mean I'll be staying with you folks forever. Ain't gonna get cosy, if that's what you want." He eyes the pair of us up, dangerously. Michonne shrugged and smiled carelessly.

"Do what you want." She muttered. "You're free to join us and leave us when you want." With a pause, she added. "Though I think it's best you refrain from your racist bullshit, otherwise I don't think this is going to work." Merle and Michonne glared at one another darkly before Merle broke contact and chuckled.

"Ol' Merle ain't making no promises." He replied, cheerfully.

* * *

Maggie drove the truck out the farm and we were content with silence for most of the journey to the pharmacy. The young farmer's daughter was the first to break it.

"We shouldn't be too long." She told me. "Should only be real quick; grab whatever we think we need and go."

"You've done this before, I gather." I observed.

"Plenty of times."

Soon we reached a small, remote town and Maggie brought the old pickup truck to a stop in front of the pharmacy. The streets were all empty; not a body or a walker in sight. I made the effort to observe my surrounding before getting out the safety of the truck. Maggie was more comfortable and got out easily, not even bothering to check. She made a point of taking a weapon though and I followed her into the deserted shop.

It was ransacked on the inside, most of it's stock already been taken from the shelves from previous visits, perhaps from Maggie herself. The young girl handed me a small scrap of paper and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Get as much as you can from the list and anything else you think we might need." She told me. "Need to get as much as we can this time." I nodded once and she walked away, taking out her own list and preparing to gather what she could. I followed her lead and did the same.

I gathered what I could, from plasters to feminine hygiene products; unsure what to deem necessary or unnecessary for our cause. Maggie was in the back of the pharmacy, raiding the medicine shelves, her eyes cautious now and scanning the shop constantly.

After filling up the bags I had, I turned to the farmer's daughter.

"I'm just gonna go dump this in the truck." I informed her. She nodded her confirmation and I left the small pharmacy and made my way towards the car.

The streets were still deserted, not a walker present. I stood by the truck, gazing down the street, trying to imagine a time when there was people walking up and down the sidewalks. Perhaps the echo of chatter would fill the air and the blissful atmosphere of community. _Though not anymore though. _

I threw the bags into the back of the truck and turned to head back into the pharmacy to help Maggie, when something caught my eye.

Down the street was a figure, a male figure. Most definitely not a walker, the figure was not moving, merely stood with his hands in his pockets. The grey hair and strong build was enough to make my stomach clench. Even from this distance I knew who it was. _Laurent. _And he was looking directly at me.

Then suddenly, Laurent raised his hand and beckoned me over. My eyes widened with shock, though I didn't move. I glanced back at the pharmacy where Maggie was still gathering supplies and wondered if I should just rejoin her.

_No, that would be a stupid idea. _Then Laurent would simply just walk over here and who knows what else he would along with him. No doubt others were nearby and that meant nothing good for Maggie and I. The safest option would be just to oblige to what he wants.

I walked towards him.

Laurent made no move for his weapons as I approached, nor did he break eye contact. As far as I was aware, no other cronies were in the immediate area, but I didn't rule out them hiding. I slowed my steps to a halt a safe distance away, my hand gripped tightly on the gun in my belt. Sarcastically, Laurent raised an eyebrow.

"Making a pharmacy trip, are we?" He asked, carefully.

"None of your business." I replied, evenly. He smirked.

"Where's that kid? You dumped her already?" Laurent asked. "Gotta say, I didn't put you as the baby-sitting type, Ruby."

"What do you want, Laurent?" I asked through gritted teeth. His smirk fell slightly.

"I think a better question is _who _are you with?" He asked, eyes gazing behind me towards the pharmacy. "Who's the lady? And who exactly was that girl I saw on the highway with you?"

"Again, none of your business." I told him. Laurent's eyes narrowed.

"The group are panning the area looking for people." He began. "We found some message on the highway, something about a _'Sophia', _Gov reckons there's people nearby." His eyes wandered again. "And after seeing you these past couple of times, I suspect his inkling is correct." My jaw clenched, and I said nothing, which was a good enough answer for Laurent. He took a few steps forward. "Take the hint, kid, get out of here whilst you can. Gov ain't gonna be too friendly on your friends."

"Who says you're an problem for me?" I asked. "Who says I'm not just passing through too?" Laurent raised an eyebrow.

"That mutt of yours, where is it?" I paused then. "Never usually leaves your sight unless it's got a safe place to wait." He raised his chin over my shoulder. "That truck your in is empty apart from basics. If you were moving, it'll be full of all your supplies. And the girl? Well, I'm guessing she's safe and sound somewhere too." Another few steps forward. "I'm not an _idiot, _Ruby, and you are sure as hell lucky that I'm the only one who has seen you today." I glared at the man and refrained from stepping back. "Take the truck, your mutt and your stuff and _leave_. Warn your friends if you have to, but hear this; Gov is going to be ploughing a whole lotta shit around this area and if you're holding up nearby then I would be worried if I was you."

"Thanks for the heads up." I muttered, taking a step back. "I'll heed to your warnings." With that, I turned and began to head back to the pharmacy and the truck. With a glance over my shoulder, I saw that Laurent had gone. Though his words still remained.

As I reached the pharmacy, Maggie exited it with a smile on her face.

"I reckon that'll do us fine." She told me, brightly. I didn't smile back and swallowed back the lump hard.

"Maggie, we have a problem." I said finally in a broken tone. She stared at me with confusion. "We need to get back to the farm now, I need to tell the others." Without asking, Maggie nodded and threw her stuff in the back with mine and we got in.

The truck burst into life and soon we were out of the small town and heading back towards the farm. I held my head in my hands, dipped with shame. _Why didn't I just tell them everything? _They deserved to know it all. And now I would tell them, along with bearing the news that the farm would surely be attacked any time soon and we would _not _be prepared for what was coming.

* * *

After leaving the gas station, rested and a truck full of supplies, we headed East. For no particular reason, it was just decided. I drove again this time and Merle insisted on driving up front with me as Michonne hadn't been in the back yet. _It was childish really. _Michonne obliged, though not without a few insulting mutters.

The silence was uncomfortable for me, though I tried just to remain focused on the road ahead and not the handless man beside me. Perhaps I would have preferred to just drive in the back?

"Where'd ya learn how t'shoot?" Merle's gruff tone asked suddenly. I glanced at him to see him examining my gun in his hand.

"A man from back in the group showed me how. Laurent, he was called, he saved my sister and I right back when everything was hell. Taught me how to shoot and gave me that gun." I told the man quickly. Merle grunted in response.

"Was Laurent that asshole who ran that place?" He asked, darkly. I shook my head and chuckled a little.

"Nah, he was that asshole's henchman. He was alright before we came across that place." I paused and thought a little about all that Laurent had done for me since the outbreak. "Suppose he's always been good to me, his priorities are just fucked up because of that place." Merle didn't answer and I gathered that was his end of the conversation over. I sighed and glanced at the man one more time, itching to ask _the question. Suppose it couldn't hurt? _"Can I ask you something, Merle?"

"I ain't the kinda bloke that does heart-to-hearts and all that shit, sugar." Merle muttered quickly. I shook my head and laughed.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't expect you to be." From his silence, I took his confirmation and the go ahead. "How did you lose your hand? Before or after the outbreak?"

My questions sent the hillbilly into a dark trail of thought. He stared down at his handless stump with the same expression I had seen the night before; _anger, betrayal. _His nostrils flared, his jaw tightened, his forehead creased. I didn't say anything, just waited for Merle to speak.

"After." He breathed, so quietly I barely heard the man. "Lost it in Atlanta. Went on a supply run with some jackasses, got handcuffed to a roof by officer fucking friendly. Dumb nigga dropped the God Damn key and left me there to get eaten by some rotting, nasty geeks." He paused, hand tightening over his wrist. "Had to cut it off with a saw to get free."

The car lurched a little as I gasped in shock. The forced caused Michonne to jolt and she banged loudly on the window to show that I had pissed her off. I gave her an apologetic smile over my shoulder and glanced at Merle before turning back to the road. The man himself was eyeing my carefully with a heavy glare.

"You _cut it off?!" _I cried.

"You goin' deaf?" He hissed, dangerously. I shook my head once and couldn't help it as my gaze wandered down to his stump. I quickly averted my eyes back to the road, knowing I had well and truly pissed off the man beside me.

"I'm sorry." I said after the longest of uncomfortable silences. "That they did that to you." Merle made a shrugging gesture.

"Didn't stop ol' Merle gettin' free and savin' his _own_ ass." There was heavy bitterness in his tone. "Better without the mother fuckers, just held me back." His eyes gazed off distantly and he burrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Imma kill the lot of them if I ever see them again." And I didn't doubt him for one minute.

* * *

"Maggie, does this truck not go _any _faster?" I demanded, my grip tightening against the door handle. The farmer girl sighed.

"Fast as it's gonna get, I'm afraid." She informed me. "What the hell is going on, Ruby? What's the matter?" I shook my head once.

"I need to tell the others." I muttered. "I need to tell Rick."

The farm house came into sight and my heart leapt slightly. _Still in one piece. _There was a brief pause as I had to open and shut the gate behind the truck, but soon enough we were ploughing down the farm track towards the farmhouse at rapid speed. I could make out figures under the trees by camp, working feverishly. Some had stopped though in their work, mainly the ones around the RV, to stop and watch our approach. I could make our Rick's figure stood at the steps of the farm house, watching our coming.

Maggie pulled the truck to a halt by the house, and soon the entire camp had stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. Only Herschel and his family weren't present. I opened the door quickly and got out, Maggie did the same.

"Something's wrong." Lori's voice spoke, a statement not a question. I ignored her and turned to her husband. He raised his eyebrow when I met his gaze and I swallowed down hard.

"We have a problem." I told him, suddenly breathless. "The other group, their scoping the area for people. And it's only a matter of time before they find the farm." Better to not beat around the bush.

"How do you-"

"I saw one of them today." I cut in quickly. "Laurent, the man who found me and my sister at the start of the outbreak. Since I escaped, I've spoken to him a few times. He finds me from time to time, to talk to me, check how I am, sometimes give me supplies and information." Judging by the sudden look of suspicion on some faces, what I had said wasn't the best of news. I ploughed on, nethertheless. "I saw him today and I spoke to him. He told me to leave, _quickly. _That the group were moving through the area, looking for people." I glanced at Carol, who clutched tightly to her daughter. "They saw the message on the highway and knew they were someone nearby." Back to the ex-sheriff. "They're _looking for us_, Rick."

Silence filled the air when I finished, and I stared at the leader awaiting his verdict. It wouldn't be Rick to break the silence though, only his best friend; the obnoxious Shane Walsh.

"I knew we shouldn't have trust you." He muttered. When I turned to him, he was glaring at me with complete distrust. "Didn't I tell you, Rick, that she's a spy?"

"I'm _not _a spy!" I hissed, matching the man's glare.

"Then how come you're apparently so cosy with one of them? You told us you weren't part of that group and yet one of them _finds you _from 'time to time'?!" Shane retorted with a shout. "You been relaying information back to them? Giving them our location? Our strengths? Our weaknesses?"

"No!"

"Was that why you were so intent of bringing Sophia back to her momma? Worm your way into the group, was that it? Then bring a whole lotta shit down on us!" He turned back to Rick, who looked like he didn't know what to make of the situation. "This is what I've been telling you all along, Rick!"

"Do you not think, that if I was trying to kill you, I would _not _be telling you all this?!" I bellowed, intent with fury for being named a traitor.

"Then why not tell us in the first place?" Lori asked, quietly. I eyed the woman carefully.

I didn't know what to make of her, whether she trusted me or not was another issue. I hadn't expected her to speak up for Shane, but remembered the rumours relaying around camp about the pair of them and held my tongue from a remark on _that _situation. It wasn't fair on Rick.

"Because I thought it was better that you _didn't _know_._" I hissed at the woman. "None of what Laurent's told me in the past has anything to do with the safety of the group. But now-" I trailed off and turned to Rick. "I would never bring harm on anyone here, I owe you all my life and I am _not_ a traitor."

"But the lies-" I sighed heavily and turned back to Lady Grimes, all intent to put the woman in her place. Andrea beat me to it though.

"I hardly think _you _are one to talk about lies." The blonde muttered, loud enough for all to hear. Suddenly, Lori's attention was averted.

"And what is that supposed to mean, Andrea?" She demanded in a careful tone. The blonde eyed the other woman with a grimace of a smile and folded her arms across her chest and turned to her with a casual slouch.

"I found a _pregnancy test _out in your tent when I was making a patrol the other morning." The blonde began, without heart. "It was positive. Need I say anymore?"

If Lori's face could get any more tense, I fear she would break under the strain. Everyone watched the two woman, silently, as they remained in eye contact with each other; one sarcastic, the other glaring. Lori was the first to compose herself and she turned to her husband quickly.

"Rick, I-"

"This isn't the time." He cut her off immediately, tone firm. She nodded once and bowed her head. Carl beside her, stared up at her with wonder, but said nothing. Shane looked like he was having an inner battle with himself, gazing at Lori and Carl before running a hand over his bald head and fisting his palms into his eyes.

"If we're all sharing secrets," Glenn's awkward voice began suddenly, coughing before he spoke. Eyes turned to the man and he rubbed the back of his head in a tense fashion, looking anywhere but Maggie. "I have something to tell you all too-"

"Glenn." Maggie warned suddenly. He carried on nethertheless.

"There's walkers in the barn." There was a collection of gasps and some heads turned towards the barn behind us.

I spared the building a mere glance, before glancing at Maggie. The farmer's daughter was all but seething and she sent Glenn one final scowl before storming past Rick and into the farmhouse, shutting the door behind her. The door slamming awoke everyone from their slight trance.

"I don't know if I can take anymore secrets." Carol attempted to break the silence, light-heartedly. She chuckled to herself, awkwardly. I eyed the woman and her daughter for a brief moment before sighing.

"I might as well go all out and tell you that I haven't been truly honest about the group either." I began, running a hand through my hair and suddenly feeling very tired. I felt all eyes on me again.

"Oh, great." Shane muttered, folding his arms across his chest and watching me intently.

"There's something," A pause. "About their _eating habits_, that I left out." When I met Rick's gaze, he tilted his head slightly and took the steps of the farmhouse to ground level. His jaw tightened as if he already knew the answer. They all probably did. "They're _cannibals_."

Rick nodded once and lowered himself onto the steps, sitting himself down and putting his head in his hands. In such little time, he had to have consumed a lot of knowledge. I felt sorry for the man. When I glanced around, Shane's face was fuming again. Carol looked shocked, but there was no anger in her expression when I met her gaze; _no anger towards me. _This was much the same in T-Dog's, Andrea's and Glenn's expressions too. Dale looked pensive, surprisingly quiet in this discussion. He wasn't looking at me, he was staring at the ground in thought. Daryl was a little away from the group, though closer enough to hear everything that was going on. He leant against a tree with Toby at his feet. All I got from him was an eyebrow raise when I met his gaze. I couldn't quite distinguish if he was angry at me or not. Lori's expression was much easier to read.

"You _kept that _from us?" She asked, her voice dangerously low. I stared at the woman and shrugged, too exhausted to talk. "And I suppose that's just something else you thought it was '_best _not to tell us'?!" I narrowed my eyes. "Perhaps you should have listened to Shane, Rick."

That statement certainly shocked me. Shane looked mildly shocked by it too, and raised his eyebrows highly. The two kids looked completely confused on what to do with themselves, standing by their mothers, unsure whether just to go play and leave the grown-ups to the discussion.

"Seem like you've been keeping a lot from us, Ruby." Shane muttered. I rolled my eyes at the man.

"It wouldn't have made a difference if I told you when I first got here or right now." I retorted. "What would have changed?"

"A certain level of _trust." _Lori threw back. I turned back to the woman, feeling very much overwhelmed by the pair of them and their sudden tag-team against me. "How could you keep something like that from us? After we took you in? Gave you clothes, food and a home? We befriended you and this is how you repay us?" I was blown back by her words and stared, wordlessly, at the woman. Someone stepped in before I could speak.

"Jesus, people, give is a rest!" Daryl's voice cried from the back of the group. "What the hell does it God Damn matter? Ruby's right; it would have made no difference if we knew right at the very start or not. No need to lay into her anymore than you already have done." His face was thunder and he directed his glare at Shane and Lori. "No different than it was before; just some more bastards trying to _eat us_." He shrugged, carelessly. "No big deal."

The silence was deafening after the hunter's words. No more harsh words were directed at me, though I didn't miss the dark looks I got from Shane and Lori. I expected a negative comeback, I must admit. It wasn't going to be easy. Rick hadn't moved since he seated himself down on the step. I observed the man, carefully, unsure on what to do. Apparently, everyone else was having the same problem.

"Rick?" Lori asked, quietly. The man raised his head and rested it on the arms that rested on his elbows. The man's expression was unreadable. "What do we do?" Her question was slow and careful, full of meaning and order. Rick was the leader and this was a decision he needed to make. I watched in silence as the man battled with himself, internally, about all he had just found out.

_The farm was in danger. From a group of dangerous cannibals; both dead and now living. The barn located on the farm itself, just a little distance from where we rested at night, was full of walkers. And we were unsure if the barn could actually truly contain them. And to top it all off, Rick was going to be a father. _Well, in theory he was. Whether or not, Shane had anything to do with the situation was another matter entirely.

"We need to talk to Herschel."

* * *

_(Author's Note): I'm back, with a quicker update than before! And a whole lot of information in this chapter. Well, for the characters that is. I know all the secrets have pretty much just come out in the last section and can kinda seem a little over-whelming, but that's how I planned it to be. Hopefully you all don't mind too much that I'm swaying off course from the series. Fingers crossed you're liking where I'm going. :) _

_Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter, they really do mean a lot. I should try and update the next chapter soonish, but I won't promise anything. Until next time, and thanks again!_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_Chapter Seventeen_

I realised pretty quickly that despite our differences and mismatching characters, the three of us worked well as a team.

Michonne had lightened up since the escape and over passing days had grown increasingly used to Merle's obnoxious attitude. At the beginning fights were frequent between the pair of them; Merle loving to rile Michonne up, Michonne easily riled up by Merle's comments. Though once Michonne became immune to his racial slurs, Merle appeared to get bored of harassing the woman and instead of calling her 'nigga' every second, stuck to the adopted nickname of 'Micky'. It was after a few weeks I realised that Merle hadn't been racist in a long time, the thought making me smile.

Thankfully, I got on with the pair of them, sparing any more tension in our oddly bunched group. Michonne and my companionship had grown over the time in camp together and had merely continued on since the escape. Merle appeared softer towards me than he was to Michonne, always had been. Regardless, we did have our fair share of fights. Though most were forgotten as quickly as they came.

We found ourselves holding up in different houses, some we lasted in a few days, some barely a night. Our journey together was not without the dead hounding on us, though we realised quickly that each of us were more than capable of looking after themselves (even Merle the Handless) and we were even better working together.

Despite this, we were forever terrified that the others would catch up on us. There was no doubt that they'd look for us and from what Michonne told us, it seemed that the Boss would probably be looking on revenge if they caught us.

"Let them find us." Merle muttered in reply to this. "I'll kill every last one of 'em!"

Merle's defiance aside, we did not go looking for revenge ourselves. We merely strove to survive and adapt to the harsh conditions we were in now. Though we never did forget about the shadow that was no doubt hounding us and the possibility of an attack from Philip and others.

We found a small town, whose sign had been destroyed so we were more lost to our current location, and held up in an abandoned house for as long as needed.

Routine precautions were made before we settled; all of the dead were swiftly (quietly) taken out and removed from the premise, doors and windows were locked - once we had brought in all our supplies etc, bottom floor windows were boarded up, top floor were covered as to hide the light, the doors in and out were all blocked up too. Once the house was secure, we dumped our things in one room before scowering the house for supplies.

"We hit the jackpot here, girls." Merle stated, raiding through the kitchen cupboards. "Looks like the last family scampered without takin' any food with 'em." He snorted. "Dumb asses."

"Or they didn't have the chance to." I muttered. Merle met my gaze briefly before sneering and looking away. I rolled my eyes and ventured away to find Michonne, leaving Merle to continue his rooting. I found Michonne upstairs in what once was the master bedroom, stood by the window looking out.

"What was he raving about?" She asked, not turning around. I chuckled a little.

"There's plenty of food left." I told her. "When we move on we'll have plenty to take with us. It's quite lucky we came across this house, we were running low on food." I made my way over to her and stood beside my companion, following her lead and staring out of the window.

Our truck was parked in front of the house, ready for a speedy getaway if needed. We had found ourselves a top for the bed of the pickup, so whoever was in the back wasn't so exposed. It proved to be quite a useful investment as whenever we didn't find a place to hold-up in for the night, we would find ourselves sleeping in the truck. Three people in the cab wasn't such a comfortable situation, so this alternative was perfect. The dead were quite scarce, though some roamed the streets, their movements slow and staggering. None of them knew of our presence, those that did we had dispatched. Regardless of this thought, there was no feeling of security with them wandering outside whilst we rested.

"Everything secure?" Michonne muttered after a while. I nodded.

"Toby's by the front door and will alert us if anything comes a knocking." I replied. Michonne chuckled and nodded.

"I think we'll be find staying here for a couple of days. There doesn't appear to be too many of those things around, enough that we can handle anyway. If Merle says there's enough food then I think we should stay here for a while, make this last." I don't know when it happened, but Michonne was definitely our unofficial leader. Despite only being three of us, there needed to be a reasonably figure to look to and Michonne had filled that spot with ease. I nodded in confirmation.

"There's enough bedrooms, I take it? Because I don't fancy sharing with the delight that is Merle." The man in question decided to make his presence known then and appeared at the door of the bedroom.

"You ladies havin' a group meetin' without me?" He asked, feigning a frown. "What you witches plottin'?" I saw Michonne roll her eyes.

"We're gonna stay here for a while. It's secure and has enough food for us. I think we'll be safe to stay for a few days before moving on." She told him, raising an eyebrow. "Any objections?"

"Sounds good to me." Merle grinned. "Though I'm taking this room." I frowned at the man, having already planned on making the master bedroom mine. Merle knew this and smirked, giving me a wink. "Should have been quicker, darlin'!"

* * *

Rick had been gone a while.

Promptly after the discussion was over, he had taken it upon himself - and himself _alone _- to go talk to Herschel about our current predicament. This left the rest of the group to wait for the undecided verdict.

Though we weren't without anything to do.

As soon as the farm house door and closed after Rick, Shane turned wild-eyed towards Glenn and pointed a finger dangerously in the direction of the barn.

"You say there's walkers in the barn?" He asked the timid Korean boy. "You sure?"

"I've _seen _them." Glenn replied. Shane nodded before turning to the rest of us.

"Now, I don't know about the rest of y'all but I'm gonna go take a look in that barn over there." Without waiting for a reply, Shane had begun his defiant march towards the barn. There was a few moments pause before Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn and Dale followed leaving myself standing with Andrea, the two mothers and their children.

"Carl, why don't you and Sophia go play in the RV for a little while, huh?" Lori asked her son. There was an edge of command to her tone, which stopped Carl from protesting. Together the children proceeded over to the RV, not before Sophia had given me one last smile over her shoulder which made me think there was perhaps still a chance of trust for me and the rest of the group.

"You're pregnant?" Carol said once the children were out of earshot, her question directed at Lori. The woman's eyes turned to me and was surprised that they were not as harsh as they were before.

"Ruby, I am sorry for what I said before," Lori began, ignoring her friend's question. This certainly wasn't what I had expected. I shrugged.

"I feel terrible for not telling you sooner, though I still believe my decision was the right one." I told her, firmly. "So I'm not going to apologise for my actions." Judging by Lori's face, what she wanted was an apology on my end, though she nodded once and didn't push the subject any further.

"Yes, I'm pregnant." She nodded, turning back to her friend.

"Are you sure?" Carol pushed. Lori nodded again.

"I made Glenn get me a pregnancy test and it came out positive. I didn't want anyone to know, not yet." Her eyes wandered to the silent blonde.

"It seems you don't always get what you want." Andrea retorted to the brunette's heavy stare. Lori's eyes narrowed before she turned towards the barn where all the men were standing in front of.

"C'mon." She said, taking Carol's hand and pulling her to follow her, making her way towards the barn. Leaving Andrea and myself alone. The blonde turned to me.

"Well, that got pretty intense." She stated with a sigh. I chuckled and ran a hand through my tangled hair.

"Thank you for standing up for me with Lori." I said, giving the blonde a small smile, which she returned.

"Lady Grimes had it coming to her." She shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. A sudden firm look appeared on Andrea's face and she turned away to look at the barn. "You know, I was just starting to get used to this place." She murmured. "Kinda thought things were looking up for us after everything we've been through." There was a long pause and Andrea sighed. "Though good things never last, huh?"

"Andrea, I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologise." She cut in. "You didn't bring that other group after us, regardless of what Shane the asshole or Lori the whore might think. They would have found us anyway and if we didn't have you to warn us, then I doubt we would have been prepared. It wouldn't have looked so bright."

"And it looks bright now?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow and wondering how the woman in front of me - the woman who Dale had told me had tried to kill herself - had hope of our future. Andrea nodded.

"We can act now. Plan. Prepare ourselves." She turned to me again with a smile. "We wouldn't be able to do that without you."

With that, the blonde turned away and began to jog towards the direction of the barn, where the rest of the group were proceeding to walk around the perimeter of the wooden building - no doubt making sure it was secure. Now I was truly left alone.

With a sigh, I made my way towards the steps of the farmhouse and sat myself down in the spot Rick had vacated. I swept my eyes across the camp and the fields of land beyond it. What Andrea had said had hit a nerve. I could emphasise with her - I was starting to get used to things on the farm. After running for so long, staying put and feeling _safe _felt good. And now, the bright image was crumbling away and I knew that no doubt things will change very soon.

The sound of the door opening behind me got my attention and I looked over my shoulder to see Jimmy stood in the doorway, Beth, Patricia and Maggie behind him.

"Rick and Herschel want to speak to you." Jimmy told me. I nodded and stood up. Jimmy stepped around me and I saw him make his way towards the barn, Beth and Patricia at his heels. I was unsure of the their motives and turned to the older Greene daughter. She shrugged.

"Dad wants us to make sure none of y'all do anything stupid." She told me. "We gotta go look after those sick inside before that asshole Shane tries to kill any of them." I stared at my young friend, trying to pick through her words.

"Sick?" I asked. Maggie turned to me with an unfathomable expression. She glanced over her shoulder towards the door before turning back to me.

"He thinks they're sick." She told me, almost frantically. By him, I gathered she meant Herschel. "He doesn't understand that they're dangerous, what they can do."

"And do you?" I asked. She nodded, informing me of the attack in the pharmacy on a supply run and how if it wasn't for Glenn she would not be stood talking to me right now.

"I've tried to reason with him, but he does not listen to me. He thinks that your group is plaguing my mind." Her eyes wandered towards the barn and the others. Mine followed.

"What about Jimmy, Patricia and Beth?" I asked. Maggie shrugged.

"I don't think they know what to believe. They don't like to speak on the matter. Jimmy obeys Dad when he needs to but I've never seen him strike an opinion on him locking _walkers _in the barn like _pets!_" I saw her fists clench hard and I nodded once. "He's delusional."

"He's not delusional." I objected. "He's in denial about the world. I mean, what you have here is bliss." I waved my arms in the direction of the fields around us. "You're isolated from the world outside. I suppose it's hard to grasp that the world has gone into an apocalypse when you have yet to witness the true horrors of it."

"And now we have to leave." Maggie muttered, gravely. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow - Maggie had left halfway through the conversation before. "We overheard Rick telling Dad everything." She explained.

"I don't suppose a decision has been reached yet as to what we do now." I replied. Maggie snorted and laughed bitterly, tears threatening to burst through the cracks in her together demeanour.

"The wisest decision would be to leave." She said, defiantly. With that, she made her way down the steps and began her way towards the barn.

"Maggie!" I called, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to me with a questionable look. "I know you're angry at Glenn for telling us about the walkers, but please don't hold his decision against him. He did what he thought was best for _everyone._ If I was him, I would have done the same. You have to understand that he did what he thought was right for the group." There was a long moments pause before Maggie nodded unemotionally. I wasn't sure whether she had taken in what I had said or was just agreeing so I wouldn't push the matter, but as long as my words had been spoken then she could think them over.

I watched her figure retreat towards the barn before sighing and making my way inside the farmhouse to look for Herschel and Rick.

The pair were sat opposite each other at the dinning room table, Rick's face defiant whilst Herschel's was plastered over of all emotion. I shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, unsure whether to approach the pair or remain standing. Herschel noticed my presence first and raised his eyes to meet mine. I was surprised by the soft smile he gave me and he gestured his hand to an empty seat beside Rick.

"Take a seat, dear." He said calmly. I nodded and obliged, taking the seat beside Rick and waited for something to be said. _This was beyond awkward. _"Rick has explained everything to me." The farmer began slowly. "Though I wish to confirm with you, my dear." I nodded with understanding. "Is it true that my farm is indeed under threat?" Herschel's eyes implored mine and I knew he was trying to judge if I was going to lie or not him. I held strong and nodded again.

"Yes it is." I confirmed. "The group that I was with before, they're scowering the area looking for people. It's only a matter of time before they find this farm."

"And what will they do _if _they find my farm?"

"When." Rick muttered, correcting the old man.

"I don't underestimate that for one minute that they'd spare anyone." I told him, gravely. "They'll kill the men for sure, unless they think any are useful for their ranks. And as for the women, they'll keep them and use them much like they did the women I was there. The children I dare not think about what they'd do to them. Either of the options are a possibility." There was a long moment of silence again as Herschel took in my words.

"You see, Herschel?" Rick demanded, leaning forward and trying to catch the old man's avoiding gaze. "I don't think you realise the danger we're in at the moment. We need to figure out a _plan. _Whether it be to stand and fight or to leave. But which ever it is, we need to decide _now.__"_He slammed his fist down in a bid to make his point. What it achieved was that it startled Herschel out of his thoughtful stare. The farmer turned to Rick.

"Why?" He asked slowly. Rick frowned.

"What?"

"Why are you telling me that _we _have to make a plan?" He asked, frowning as he spoke. "You and your group are no obligation of mine. You may leave whenever you wish, actually I have already asked for you, Rick, to take your people off my land several times. Your boy is strong enough and the girl is found, and now there are apparently people coming to kill us all - I see no reason for you and your group to stay any longer." Rick and I stared at the man with shock.

"We can't just leave you." I breathed.

"You expect us to just leave you behind to _die?!__"_Rick all but snarled. Herschel shook his head.

"How can you be so sure that they're as dangerous as you say?" I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off. "They took you in, Ruby, they did _not_ kill you. And from what you have said, they have _not_ raped you or harmed you too gravely. Therefore, how can we be sure they won't show the same regards towards us?" I stared in complete shock at the man. Maggie was right; _he was delusional. _

"You have no idea what I have seen when I was with that group!" I cried, suddenly furious with the man. "They raped and killed the very people I camped beside, they ate _people _who were either too weak or too old to survive. They are _sick _and if you are so _delusional _to believe in the 'good' in them then I sincerely hope I'm not there the day you regret those words!" I made a move to leave, but Rick grabbed my arm. I turned to the man, nostrils flared, eyes blazed, though Rick's face was a calm expression and he silently told me to remain seated, tugging my arm to influence a point. I, ruefully, took my seat again though avoided the gaze of the farmer.

"Herschel, you need to see sense." Rick began slowly. "Regardless of whether you believe they're good or bad people, we need to think of a plan. Because assuming things will get you killed. Being prepared is how we're going to survive." Herschel seemed to comply with Rick's words, so the ex-sheriff continued on. "After everything you have done for us, my boy especially, I don't find it in my nature to leave without you and your family. I just can't walk away after your hospitality and goodness - whatever decision is made, will be made for the _united _group-"

"Rick, there is no 'united' group." Herschel interrupted. "There's _your _group and there's _my _group." Judging by Rick's expression, that didn't sit too well with him.

"What about the walkers in the barn?" I piped up quickly, cutting off any harsh remark Rick was about to make. Herschel turned to me.

"They are _people, _dear." Herschel stated, calmly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Zombies, walkers, geeks - call them what you wish, but I assure you that they are _not _people." I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at the man. "You have no idea what they're capable of-"

"They're just sick people-"

"One of those 'sick people' tried to kill your daughter the other day." I cut in, silencing the man. "Have you talked to Maggie about that?" Judging by his confused expression, he hadn't. "Well, I think you should because maybe you might be enlightened on the subject." A pause, another long one.

"Whatever you want to call the contents of that barn makes no difference. It is on _my _land and therefore is _my _property. _I _make the decisions as to what happens to them and they're _my _concern. So I'd like it if for the duration of your stay, however short that may be, that you stay away from the barn." Herschel's words were directed more at Rick this time.

"I think it's _our _concern if there's a barn of walkers a few feet away from where we sleep." Rick threw back.

"It's irrelevant." Herschel objected. "They have not got out so far during your time here and if the Asian boy hadn't of opened his mouth, you wouldn't have been none the wiser."

"His name's Glenn." I muttered.

"And that's just the thing, Herschel." Rick leaned forward. "Now, we _do _know and we don't quite feel safe knowing about your current fancy in taking in dead cannibals as pets." I was surprised by Rick's harsh words, though I gathered it was due to the blow of the situation. Everything had come at once, and as leader, Rick was expected to react and deal with every single problem thrown at him immediately. It was safe to say that I didn't envy the man and his job.

"Then you know the solution then," Herschel said slowly. Rick raised an eyebrow in question. "_Get off my land_."

Just then a gun shot was fired, startling the three of us. We glanced at each other wearily before we were all on our feet and rushing towards the door. Rick got there first, throwing open the farm house door as he did. We looked around, trying to find the source - I was terrified for a moment that Philip and his group had found us and we had run our of time - though it wasn't hard to see the commotion going on by the barn. There was only a moment's pause before the three of us were running towards the group gathered by it.

Getting closer, I saw Shane in possession of the gun bag and had taken it upon himself to hand out weapons amongst the men - and Andrea. Voices were raised as Dale, Maggie and Lori argued heatedly with Shane. Apparently the gun shot had been fired from Shane's shot gun as he had tried to blow the lock off the barn door.

"What are you doing?!" Rick cried once we reached them, marching toward his friend.

"Doing your job for you, man." Shane replied, pointing towards the barn. "Getting rid of the threat." He raised his gun again at the lock, only to have it shoved away by Rick.

"That isn't your decision to make!" Rick snarled, getting in Shane's face.

"Well, you weren't exactly doing a good job and making the decisions, were you?" Shane challenged darkly.

"That doesn't mean you have the right to step in." Lori cried, suddenly, stepping forward and getting between the two men. "This is Herschel's farm and we need to respect Herschel's decision."

"And my decision is for you all to leave." Herschel cut in. Everyone turned to him.

"Dad!" Maggie cried. The farmer ignored her.

"Herschel, we need to carry on discussing this-" Rick tried.

"There isn't anything to discuss, Rick." Herschel cut in before nodding at Shane. "I don't want that man on my land any longer. I gave you people help and shelter when you needed it, but now it's time for you to go. My hands are clean, my conscience is clear." He paused. "You have all outstayed your welcome."

"You can't just throw us out!" Shane cried.

"You have no idea what it's like out there!" Andrea joined in.

"What about the children?" Carol asked, softly, her gaze wandering toward the RV where Sophia and Carl were stood beside. They had heard the gun shot but had not ventured over, merely observed the commotion.

"Dad, you can't do this." Maggie tried, rushing forward and trying to catch her father's gaze. "You can't just throw these people out; they'll die!"

"They'll be _fine.__"_ Herschel insisted.

"You don't understand." Glenn tried softly, though Herschel still appeared to be sour with the boy - whether it be to do with whatever was going on between him and Maggie or the fact it was Glenn that told us all about the barn I didn't know - as he turned a scowl towards him and Glenn was silenced.

For a moment, nothing was said. The group just remained silent with only the sounds of the snarling walkers in the barn behind us making a noise. I remained apart from the group, not wanting to involve myself in the argument anymore than I already had. Rick was the first to break the tension.

"I'll make a deal with you, Herschel." Rick began slowly. "_We__'__ll_ leave the barn untouched and _you__'__ll _let us stay another night." Herschel opened his mouth to speak but Rick cut him off again. "Be the Christian, Herschel. The offer is fair." There was a moment as Herschel paused, thinking it over. Finally the man nodded.

"One more night. And I want all your weapons back in the bag and taken into the house where I know they won't be used." His eyes wandered towards Shane who snorted and sneered back.

"That's fine." Rick nodded, turning to his friend and silently commanding him. Shane stared back for a moment before obliging, putting his weapon back in the gun bag with an unhappy expression on his face - a storm was brewing inside that man. The others with weapons followed suit and soon they were all back inside the bag and the bag was given to Herschel. The farmer looked satisfied with this and gazed around the group.

"I want you gone by midday tomorrow, no objections." He told us all, eyes locking one final time with Rick's before he turned and walked away, back towards the house. Jimmy, Patricia and Beth followed behind him, though Maggie lingered.

"I'll talk to him." She told us, her eyes frantic. "I'll convince him to let you stay, if only for a little longer." Rick shook his head.

"Staying isn't an option anymore, Maggie." He told her. "We're not safe here, _all _of us. The best thing for us all to do is leave. Convincing Herschel of that is what we need to do." Maggie nodded.

"I'll try and convince him." She promised. Her eyes met Glenn's briefly and she nodded before turning around and running towards the farmhouse after her family.

"Rick, why in God's name did we just hand over _all _of our weapons?" Shane demanded, dangerously. Rick turned on him with a glare.

"Because you decided to act rashly!" Rick replied.

"At least I was acting to the situation and not hiding in the God Damn farmhouse!"

"I was trying to convince Herschel that we need to make a plan, you ruined any chance of me doing so by being an asshole!"

"Why do you care, Rick?" Shane asked. "Why do we need Priest Greene to make a plan? They ain't our problem! We don't have to stick around for them."

"We're not leaving them behind." Glenn cut in. The silent _'__I__'__m not leaving Maggie__'_was heard loud on clear. Shane scoffed.

"What, so because Glenn has a little crush on the farmer's daughter means we gotta help them out?" Shane asked before turning his complete attention to Glenn. "Glenn man, she's probably just with you for a quick fuck every now and again. Don't blame her, girl's lonely and you're the most desperate guy there is-" Shane was cut off with satisfying scene of Glenn practically diving on the bigger man. Taken by surprise, Shane allowed Glenn to tackle him and the pair fell to the ground, fists flailing. The fight - if it could be called one - was stopped as Daryl and T-Dog yanked Glenn off of Shane and Rick stepped in between the pair to prevent either party going at the other again.

"That's enough!" Rick roared, taking hold of Shane to calm him down. Shane sneered and shoved Rick away from him.

"You're right, Rick! That _is_ enough." With that, Shane walked away, his fists clenched as he stomped towards the RV, which Carl and Sophia quickly retreated away from. The bigger man ignored the pair and walked inside the camper, slamming the door shut, loud enough to be heard from where we were stood, behind him.

"Well, that was exciting." Daryl muttered.

* * *

I had taken the bedroom right at the back of the house, the smaller of all the bedrooms. It looked to be a children's room once upon a time and the thought made my heart clench. The bed sheets were bright pink and had various princesses on, leading me to believe it was a little girl's room. _Was. _

Michonne and Merle were resting in their respectable rooms and the house was silent as we had decided to rest for the night. Toby was downstairs, where I had left him no doubt, keeping guard like a good dog. Unable to sleep, I hauled myself out of the bed and left the room. Too many nightmares plagued my mind.

Standing in the corridor, I glanced at Michonne's bedroom opposite mine. The door was shut and no doubt it's occupant was asleep inside. Further down, however, Merle's door was open, allowing me some sight on the inside of his room. I approached it quietly and peeked through the crack, seeing Merle's feet at the end of the bed, on top of the bed sheets. Was the man awake? _I could not tell. _

"Come in or go away. Don't just stand out in the corridor like some perv." Merle's voice drawled from inside. _That answered my question. _Carefully, I pushed open the door and glared at the man.

"I'm not a perv." I told him. Merle smirked. He was lying on top of his covers, hands behind his head, looking quite content. I rolled my eyes at his posture and ventured further into the room, shutting the door behind me. As we weren't allowed to put a light on, in fear of the dead seeing it, the house had descended into darkness and Merle was only just visible now I had shut the door.

"Can't sleep?" Merle guessed, eyes wandering to stare up at the ceiling. I nodded and approached the bed, taking seat at the end of it and crossing my legs. "Kinda spooky in this place, ain't it?"

"Like a horror film." I agreed. Merle hummed. "Suppose that's the story of our lives now, isn't it."

"Always gotta look on the down side, don't you." Merle muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"Kind of hard not to." I pointed out.

"Hey, I'm in the same situation as you 'nd I've only got one hand. Look at me; chipper and loving life." I turned to the man with a frown. Merle saw it and sighed. "Just gotta look on the bright side, darlin'."

"Is there one?" I scoffed. Merle paused.

"Well, you're here, ain't ya?" He challenged quietly. "You're alive 'nd you made it out of a couple of situations where most have died from. Saved my ass a couple of times too." I smiled. "Same with me. Lost a hand, but I'm still livin'." There was a long moment of silence between us.

"And why do you think that is?" I asked quietly. I saw Merle think about it hard.

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "But it's gotta be a good thing, right?" I stared at the man for a few moments before shrugging, not really sure I had the same level of optimism as him.

"Kinda feels like everyone else are the lucky ones - they got out. We're the ones stuck here, tortured by our fears and living our days terrified of what's around the corner. Not much of a life. I don't think living is exactly a good thing anymore." I told him. Merle tilted his head towards me, his eyes judging me silently.

"Suppose, it depends if you have anythin' to live for."

"And what do you have to live for?" Merle chuckled, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. He then turned silent and a frowned fell on Merle's face. I was used to that look now. It was the look when Merle was thinking about something really hard, something that he hadn't told Michonne and myself about. He was reminiscing something that had happened to him, something I had a sneaky suspicion had to do with his missing hand.

* * *

Our last night in camp was spent quite dismally. After dinner, which was ate in silence, everyone dispersed off separately. I noticed people had begun to pack which was a disheartened sight. I complied to the norms myself and packed up everything, leaving my bags beside Carol's and Sophia's in our tent. Once I had done that, I didn't feel like remaining in our tent and ventured off for a wander to think about all that had happened.

My feet, unsurprisingly, led to me to Toby. The dog greeted me happily and I sat myself down beside it, not even asking Daryl's permission to join them both.

"I don't want to leave." I told Daryl, breaking the silence. I stroked Toby's nose slowly before glancing up at the hunter. I noticed that he was already packed and ready to go too. Daryl shrugged.

"Not our choice, I suppose." He muttered. "Herschel wants us out so we gotta go."

"And what do you think about it all?" I asked. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "What's your opinion of all my lies?"

Throughout the night I had been met with suspicious stares, which I had expected. Shane was completely adamant to ignore me, Lori was much the same. The likes of Dale, T-Dog and Glenn were hesitant, I noticed. There weren't blatantly hating on me, but I knew they had their doubts. Andrea, Carol, Carl and Sophia were no different than they were before, treating me exactly the same as they always had. Rick had long accepted my outburst and I gathered still trusted me, treating me in the same manor Andrea, Carol, Carl and Sophia did. Daryl was undistinguished.

Daryl snorted at this and smirked.

"Thought my input into the discussion before set which side I'm on quite clearly." He stated. I frowned, though remembered then Daryl's remark during the argument - he had defended me, much like Andrea had.

"Thank you for that." I told him, sincerely. He shrugged.

"Wasn't fair how they were just laying into ya. No one but blondie was stickin' up for ya. Thought I might as well step in." I smiled.

"Well, it was much appreciated." I replied. Daryl nodded once and looked away, somewhat uncomfortably. "Guess you won't get to take Toby out hunting with you after all?" I muttered, breaking the silence. Daryl breathed a chuckle.

"Guess not." He agreed. "Don't really know what will happen after tomorrow. Not sure where Rick plans on takin' us." His tone was bitter, I sensed, and I frowned at this.

"You don't trust Rick?" I guessed.

"Rick I trust, Shane however-" He trailed off and sighed. "The asshole is like the devil on Rick's shoulder, mutterin' in his ear constantly. He can't be trusted."

"And does that make you the angel on his shoulder?" I asked, smiling slightly. Daryl raised his gaze to meet mine. There was a long moment's silence as we just merely stared at each other, neither backing down. There was something in his eyes that just irked at me. _Why couldn__'__t I remember why he was so familiar to me? _

"I ain't the angel." Daryl said after a while, giving in and breaking the locked gaze.

"Well, your jacket disagrees with you." I countered nodding to where his jacket was hung from a tree, displaying the angel wings sewed on the back. Daryl glanced at it before laughing - the most honest laughs I had heard from him since I had arrived. His smile brightened up his face when he laughed and it was refreshing to see him like this, in comparison to his usual stoic demeanor.

"I'll give ya that one, girl." He nodded. The silence continued a little while longer, though it was much more comfortable than before. I continued to stroke Toby aimlessly, whilst Daryl stared out across the tree line.

"Why are you so far away?" I asked, suddenly. Daryl turned to me with a frown. "From camp." I continued. "Why is your tent apart from the rest?" Daryl didn't answer the question, merely looked away and avoided it. "Kinda like you, I suppose. You distance yourself too. Is it just a physical reiteration of your character?"

"You tryin' to psycho-analyse me now, girl?" He hissed, turning a glare towards me. I was startled by the intensity of it that I shied away in surprise.

"No," I tried. "I just thought you'd be lonely, that's all." Daryl's eyes judged me for a while before he sighed and looked away.

"Prefer it that way." He muttered. I sighed, understanding the man's isolation.

He didn't feel a part of the group, like he didn't have a place or a position to fill. He was merely the hillbilly that hunted for them. His worth was limited and therefore he isolated himself from contact. _What a lonely life he must lead. _There was something behind his eyes though. Hidden anger? _Betrayal? _I had seen that look before, though it's meaning was still lost to me. What could be sure though was that the man before me was lost. He fit into this new world because the new world didn't require any lasting companionships or friendships, only the idea of survival. And whilst Daryl Dixon may be good at survival, without contact with other people, he was bound to lose all hope of humanity and become a mindless beast, only focused on surviving.

_Always gotta look on the down side, don__'__t you. _A mocking voice spoke inside my head. I frowned, a connection suddenly reacting inside my head as I turned my gaze towards Daryl. A familiar face blared inside my mind, though before I could even think anything of it, my thought process was interrupted.

"Got the mutt anyway." Daryl said. I frowned.

"What?" I stuttered. Daryl nodded toward Toby and I looked down at the dog.

"I ain't alone, I have the mutt. Damn thing won't leave me alone so it's hard to avoid _every_one." His implications were clear and I raised an eyebrow.

"You trying to avoid me, Mr Dixon?" I asked. Daryl smirked and said no more. "Why I'm deeply offended by that!" I feigned hurt and crossed my arms across my chest. Daryl chuckled and shook his head.

"Suppose you ain't too bad." He admitted suddenly, causing me to turn to him curiously. "Don't know when to shut up sometimes,"

"Ha ha." I replied, dryly. Daryl chuckled again and shrugged.

"But you found Sophia, brought her back to her momma. You've proved your worth around camp and what you did today was pretty brave." He paused, not looking at me and looking increasingly uncomfortable. "I guess you're alright by my books." There was a moment's silence as I let the words sink in and I smiled.

"Did I just receive a compliment from Daryl Dixon?" I asked, mockingly, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly come over Daryl. It did the trick as the man turned to me with a smirk.

"Don't get used to it."

* * *

_(Author's Note): I am here! After so long! Really sorry for that, I just got really rubbish at updating. But I'm here, I've finished my other fiction and am now completely dedicated to this one! Fingers crossed my updating skills improve now. :) _

_Walking Dead Season three has started! I am so excited, the first episode was amazing and there's a lot of hope for the next eight weeks. What did you all think of the first episode? Love it, hate it? (personally, I adored it!) I really am excited for the rest of the season, roll on friday night! _

_Back to the story, this chapter is longer than the last in my attempt to make up for the long wait. Hopefully you will enjoy it. Anything in particular you liked/hated? Are the characters all in character? Obviously there has been a lot of changes to the storyline of the show now that Ruby and Sophia are in camp, so please don't hate me because I'm not following the episodes. I will incorportate in the ideas, but I won't be following it action-by-action, word-for-word because I feel as if people would get bored pretty soon and that's not where I want to go with this story. _

_A word of warning though, due to my changes and adaptions from the show, there maybe some surprises regarding character deaths (because lets face it, in a ZA, not everyone is going to survive!). I have an idea of who I'm going to be killing off, but I'd love to know if any of you have any ideas (requests). Let me know if you do. _

_Thanks for your patience and comments and hopefully I'll have the next update up soon as! :) _


	19. Chapter Eighteen

_Chapter Eighteen_

I felt a presence suddenly in the empty room I occupied. Currently, I was in the kitchen, getting together breakfast for the three of us and banding together something suitable for Toby. We had held up in this house for just over four days now and were still undiscovered. The dead were getting edgy though. They sensed our presence and a few had become suspicious of our house, some venturing over and proceeding to bang on the boarded frames. At first we had chosen to ignore them, Michonne said they'd go away eventually, but Merle grew tired of the noise.

All of a sudden, the hillbilly left our presence one day, unbarred the back door and told me to shut it behind him and open it when he told me to. I did as told, not without a few protests and within five minutes Merle was back inside the house, caked in blood though thoroughly satisfied with the lack of noise. Michonne was less than pleased.

We knew then that our stay was going to have to end soon and food had already been collected together, waiting for our move.

I sensed the sudden presence and felt tense. In a flash, I had spun around, ready to pull out my gun, only to find Merle in the doorway. His eyes lingered at where my hand held the gun tightly though he said nothing of it. A frown was on his face.

"What's up?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Merle grunted and beckoned me to follow him. With a frown, I obliged.

Quietly, he led me through the house and up the stairs, where he held a finger to his lips. He pointed to Michonne's bedroom, whose door was cracked open and nodded his head when I looked confused. I walked over to the door slowly and suddenly heard chatter from inside.

"-but we've got lots of protection here, there's not that many of them to deal with." A pause. "We need to move though; moving is vital. We can take the food with us, there's plenty to last us a long time." Another pause and a sigh. "Where would we go though? Where's safe? Is anywhere safe?" A glanced back at Merle, who beckoned me into his room. With a frown, I followed him inside and he shut the door behind him.

"What was that?" I asked, confused. The voice was Michonne's, that was for sure, but Michonne's alone. Merle shrugged.

"Been doing it for a while now." He told me. "I was passing to go to bathroom when I heard 'er first time. Thought she was talkin' to you, so thought nothin' of it. Then I heard you banging around downstairs and knew it couldn't be. Listened for a while and realised the bitch ain't gettin' no replies. She's talkin' to 'erself!" He folded him arms and frowned. "Ol' Micky's gone crazy."

"She's not crazy!" I gushed quickly in Michonne's defence, though I was having doubts truth be told. "I guess you would go crazy in a situation like this." I tried, lamely. Merle raised an eyebrow and snorted.

"Talkin' to yourself is the first sign of madness." Merle muttered. I rolled my eyes at this. "Neither of us 'ave imaginary friends and we're in the same fucked up world as 'er."

"We don't know what she's been through." I pointed out.

"None of us really know what each other 'ave been through." Merle countered. There's was a long pause of silence which was tensed with the distant sound of Michonne's continued chatter down the hall. I saw Merle's only fist clench hard and his face darkened. "I ain't stickin' with no crazy person. What we gonna do if she has a breakdown 'nd tries to kill us?" He demanded.

"Just because she's talking to herself, doesn't mean she's going to do that!" I argued. Merle look unconvinced. "And what would you suggest we do then?"

"Leave her." He answered easily, though I had an inkling he was joking. No matter how many times he said he would, I knew Merle couldn't just leave. Not after everything we had been through together. I rolled my eyes in reply and folded my arms across my chest to mirror the man's stance. He narrowed his eyes at this and sneered in response. Just then, the door to Merle's room opened, startling the pair of us.

"What's going on in here?" Michonne asked, suspiciously. I glanced at her and saw a confused expression on her face. When I turned to Merle, he was glaring heavily at Michonne.

"Nothing." I told her. "We were just discussing where our next heading will be." I lied quickly and Michonne looked mildly convinced.

"Last group I was with talked of a safe shelter." Merle piped up suddenly, going along with my lie. "Fort Benning I think. Supposed to be safe. 'Bout headin' there?"

"Fort Benning?" Michonne snorted. "Before I met up with that group, _I _was heading for Fort Benning. Safest place to be when this shit hit. I got there eventually and found an army base, full of medical equipment and supplies galore." She paused and sighed. "Only the base had been overrun a few days before I arrived, everyone who had been there has either been turned, killed or running to survive." She glanced between the pair of us with heavy eyes. "Fort Benning doesn't exist no more."

A heavy silence grew between us and I saw Merle processing this thoughtfully.

"I better go finish breakfast." I muttered finally, not wanting to be in that room anymore. With on last meaningful glance at Merle, I left the pair and headed back to the kitchen.

Fort Benning meant nothing to me. I hadn't even heard about it until Merle mentioned it. Even so, the fact that what once was a safe base is now exactly same as the rest of America - potentially the world - left me with no optimism for our odds.

And despite my protests, Michonne's apparent talking to herself was without a doubt very odd. _What we gonna do if she has a breakdown __'__nd tries to kill us? _- Merle's words stuck with me and I couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive of my friend now. _What was happening to us?_

* * *

When I woke up the next morning - _the final morning - _I was greeted with a timid smile from Sophia. Carol was gathering up hers and Sophia's bedding and it was a wonder how I didn't wake up from her movements. The woman smiled down at me when she saw I was awake.

"Good morning, Ruby." Carol greeted, warmly. I couldn't help but notice the tense tone behind her words. I smiled back, though it was more of a grimace.

I gathered up my own bedding and piled it next to the rest of our stuff. The tent was certainly looking very empty now.

"Where will we go now, Momma?" Sophia asked, breaking the content silence. I saw Carol pause and glance at me before replying to her daughter.

"I don't know, but wherever it is, Rick will make sure it's safe for us." Carol told Sophia. "All that matters is that we're together." She smiled warmly at her daughter before kissing her fondly on the head. I smiled at the gesture. Sophia nodded and turned to me.

"You'll be coming too, won't you Ruby?" She asked, a hopeful edge to her words. I paused, processing my answer, only for Carol to speak for me.

"Of course she will be." She began. "We're her family now, and family sticks together at times like this." I felt my heart ache at her words and stared in awe at the woman. Sophia beamed at the answer and turned to me expectantly, though I remained staring at Carol. _We__'__re her family now. _The older woman turned to me with a fond smile and nodded as if to confirm her words. I wouldn't quite have believed them myself if I hadn't heard them moments before.

"Of course I will." I told Sophia when I found my voice. "Can't get rid of me that easy!" The girl leapt forward and wrapped her arms around me. Over her shoulder, I locked eyes with Carol and smiled the best I could to show my appreciation to her words. Carol seemed to understand, reaching over and brushing a hair from my eyes and smiling one last time before leaving the tent.

"C'mon, we better go have breakfast!" Sophia gushed, taking my hand and tugging me out the tent. Thank God for the little girl's help, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to move myself.

The rest of the camp was already up and food was handed to us when we approached. Much like the evening before, breakfast we eaten with a tense feel about it. Looking around camp, I noticed that tents were bare and I couldn't help my stomach dropping at the sight of it all. _I didn__'__t want to leave. _Locking eyes with Daryl across the fire, I attempted to smile, though I knew it came out more like a grimace - I wasn't so good at smiling this morning. Daryl replied with a tiny smile of his own which told me he was feeling the same feeling of apprehension about the day ahead. Everyone was no doubt.

Suddenly, Rick rose to his feet and all eyes turned to him.

"I gotta go talk to Herschel." He told us all. "Hopefully a night's sleep has made his adjust his attitude." Shane snorted and Rick silenced him with a glare. "Even so, I'm gonna get our weapons back. I want all tents gone and everything packed ready whilst I'm gone. Which ever way this conversation goes, we'll be leaving as soon as possible."

"Where will we be going?" Andrea asked, the question that everyone was thinking.

"Fort Benning?" Shane suggested. I frowned as the words left his lips. _Fort Benning? _Rick turned to his partner with a less harsh expression than before and nodded once.

"No." I cut Rick off from saying whatever he was going to say and suddenly all eyes were on me. I shook my head. "Fort Benning isn't an option." I sensed another confrontation but I didn't care, I remained staring at Rick for a reply.

"And why's that?" Shane asked. I rolled my eyes at the man.

"One of the survivor's I was with after I left the other group had been to Fort Benning. Said it had been overrun by walkers and everyone was dead." I told him bluntly. "It _isn__'__t _an option." I was surprised by the lack of objections or arguments to my words, I was only left with a brief pause of silence.

"Then where will we go?" Glenn asked thoughtfully. Rick paused before sighing.

"We'll think of something." He muttered before turning to me. "You can come with me to talk to Herschel, I'm gonna need you." I nodded once and stood up. Shane looked displeased by this but said nothing. Rick turned to his wife, who nodded.

"We'll pack everything up." She replied to his silent question. Rick nodded once before turning to me and making his way towards the farmhouse. With a sigh, I followed.

When we entered the farmhouse, it was deadly silent. Rick let the door creak shut behind us and called out to the inhabitants of the house, alerting our presence. There was a pause before there were rushed footsteps on the stairs and Maggie suddenly appeared.

"We've come to speak to Herschel." Rick told her. She nodded.

"Dad's in the kitchen." She replied. Rick made a move around her, though she stood in our path. "I tried talking to him but he was jus the same." Rick nodded.

"Thank you for trying." Maggie paused, licking her lips and looked suddenly very uncomfortable. "You alright, Maggie?" Rick had apparently sensed this too. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed.

"I want to come with you." She said in a low tone. "I have a bag packed in my room."

"Have you told Herschel about this?" Maggie shook her head. "Maggie-"

"He won't listen and he'll try and stop me!" She hissed, shaking her head. "I can't stay here knowing what I know now. I will _not _wait here to die."

"And what about your sister?" Rick asked, softly. "Jimmy? Patricia?" Maggie shook her head.

"They won't come, they'll only listen to what Dad says." There was a pause between the pair and I continued to remain silent. Rick sighed and shook his head.

"I won't defy your father's wishes-"

"And I won't be left here to die." Maggie cut in. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions, I don't need my dad's permission." Her eyes welled up with tears and by the look on her face, her answer was final. Rick studied her expression in silence before sighing.

"Take your stuff outside and ask Glenn to pack it up with the rest of our stuff." He told her. A grin appeared on Maggie's face and she made a move to rush upstairs, though Rick stopped her. "But you _need _to talk to the other three. Whilst we're talking to Herschel, I _need_ you to talk to Beth, Jimmy and Patricia. You need to try to convince them to come too." Maggie nodded firmly.

"I will." With that, Rick let her past and she rushed up the stairs.

"C'mon." Rick urged, making his way towards the kitchen. With a sigh, I followed the ex-sheriff and the pair of us found Herschel sat alone at the kitchen table, his breakfast before him. I noticed our gun back by his feet. The farmer glanced up at our entranced and raised an eyebrow. There was a moment's silence before Herschel gestured for us to take a seat opposite him, which we obliged to. Everything was certainly starting to look like yesterday now._Déjà vu? _

"I trust you are almost ready to go?" Herschel asked, slowly. His eyes darted between the pair of us, as if judging our movements.

"We're packing now." I told him, when Rick failed to answer the man. Herschel nodded at this, breaking eye contact to stare down at his food.

"If this is another bid to convince me against my actions, Rick, then I will tell you now that your actions will be wasted." Herschel stated bluntly. "I'm not leaving this farm and neither is my family."

"You seem so quickly to decide your family's decision, without even asking what they want." Rick observed.

"I know what's best for them."

"Do you?" Rick challenged, eyebrows raised. The pair were locked in a silent debate and I suddenly wondered why I was asked to join in in this particular discussion. I had said what I needed to yesterday, Rick had no need of me now. As if sensing my confusion, Herschel turned to me.

"I wonder why you are present here, my dear." He said softly. "For I gather Rick will be the one doing the talking."

"We request our weapons back." Rick cut in suddenly. Herschel glanced at him then at the bag at his feet. "They're our weapons, it's only fair." The farmer nodded and bent down to hoist them onto the table in front of us.

"It's all there and accounted for." Herschel told us. Rick nodded and turned to me.

"Take them outside and do _not _let them out of your sight." He said, suddenly. "I don't want you handing weapons to _anyone _until I return." _Especially Shane, _remained unspoken but I heard it loud and clear and stood up from the table.

"So this was why you asked me to come." I muttered. Rick nodded.

"I trust you enough to know you will obey my orders." He replied, firmly. I eyed the man carefully, taken back by the word _trust. _Swallowing hard, I hoisted the bag onto my shoulder.

"If this is the last time we shall speak to each other, my dear, then I pray God be with you in the road ahead." Herschel spoke suddenly. I turned to the man and smiled a little, not one for religion but I appreciated the man's sentiment.

"Thank you for your hospitality." I told the man earnestly. He nodded in return and I turned back to Rick. "I'll look after them." I promised, before leaving the pair to their discussion.

* * *

Our belongings were all packed and stacked by the front door. All the food we had looted from the kitchen had been placed in boxes we had found around the empty house and were stacked beside them, all waiting to be escorted to the waiting truck. The front door had been unbarred and we were all currently gathered in the living room, planning our next move.

"Who'll be driving?" I asked, glancing between the pair.

"I'll be driving." Michonne stated. "I'll head to the truck first with Toby. If I'm quick, I should get into the cab reasonably unnoticed and I'll get the engine running."

"And then what 'bout Ruby and me?" Merle demanded, his eyes on Michonne. "You gonna let us do all the carryin'?" He didn't even bother to hide his suspicion and openly glared at the woman. Michonne however was unfazed.

"You'll have to be quick, though it'll probably take a few attempts to get everything loaded up." She replied. "I'll try and cover you."

"You'll _try?__"_Merle muttered, eyes narrowing. "I don't like this plan."

"Tough. It's all we have." Michonne shrugged. "We better get moving fast whilst they're a distance from the house. We can take down stragglers, it's just we can't afford to attract a big group of them."

"So, we're doing it now?" I asked, my heart racing with fear at what we were going to do. Michonne nodded and rose from her seat.

"No time like the present." With that she made her way to the front door and I met eyes with Merle.

"Bitch is fuckin' loopy." Merle hissed at me. I rolled my eyes back and followed after Michonne, who had taken out her katana ready. I gripped my bat in preparation and I noticed Merle's grip tightened on the knife in his hand. _My knife. _Merle had appeared to have permanently adopted my knife as his own. I continued to vow to take it off him, but leaving the man unarmed wasn't an option and the trust we had built between us lead me to believe that Merle was more than trustworthy wielding a knife at his own accord.

I stood by the door, holding the handle ready to open it. Michonne got herself into position and Merle leaned carelessly against the wall beside the door, his eyes burning into Michonne.

"Wish me luck." Michonne muttered. Merle snorted and Michonne met my gaze.

With a pause, she nodded once and I took that as my cue. In a swift move, I opened the door and Michonne bolted out. Merle and I spared no time observing her journey to the truck and gathered up the first lot of supplies that needed to be loaded onto the truck. When we did look out, we saw Michonne had taken out three dead and had unbolted the back of the truck ready for us. She had jumped into the truck and the sound of the door slamming was our next cue.

Merle went first, the bags thrown over his shoulders. Due to his lack of hands, he was unable to carry the boxes of food and that job was left to me. Merle had offered, though it was obvious that he was incapable of the job. The only problem with the boxes was that they were heavy. I sighed and made my move.

I rushed out after Merle, taking his path to the back of the truck. Thankfully, Merle had dumped his first load into the back and was now aiding me in my turn by taking out the dead that got too close to me. I hoisted the box into the back of the truck before the pair of us rushed back inside for the next lot.

We continued rapidly and made two more journeys before the dead were beginning to become a problem. Thankfully there was only one lot left and we gathered them up between them and made one last push to the truck and to safety.

Merle was quicker, dumping his bags in the truck and heaving himself into the bed. I was slower, only just dodging the rotting hands, but successfully made it to the truck and dumped the boxes in. Merle aided me by taking out close stragglers, but it was getting tight.

"C'mon!" Merle cried, urging me into the truck.

Unfortunately, this was taken the wrong way with Michonne.

Just at the moment before I pulled myself into the truck bed beside Merle, Michonne started the truck and suddenly slammed down the accelerator as was speeding off down the street-

-Leaving me behind.

I fell to the floor, having lost my balance in the sudden movement of the truck speeding away and felt my stomach plummet. Glancing up, I saw the truck speeding away, Merle's face staring in horror at me and his mouth screaming words I couldn't hear. Between him and me though were the dozens of staggering feet of the dead, heading dangerously close towards me.

_They had left me._

* * *

The first member of the group that approached me was Shane, this was not a surprise.

When I exited the farmhouse, I began to aid the others in packing away our stuff, keeping a tight grip on the bag slung over my shoulder. I sensed eyes watching me, wondering why I was in possession of the bag, but I ignored them and remembered Rick's orders. He had _trusted _me with this and I wasn't about to let him down.

The burly man marched over to me with careful steps as I leant my back against a tree, taking a break. At first, there was silence between us as he stood beside me, hands in his pockets carelessly. I eyed him carefully out of the corner of my eye as he stared out across Herschel's fields, his mind practically tinkering away as he processed his next move.

"So, Rick made you in charge of the weapons, huh?" Shane murmured suddenly, not missing a beat. I forced myself not to roll my eyes.

"Yes." More silence.

"Well, I guess considering we're leaving, there ain't no reason we shouldn't have our weapons back." Shane began slowly. I narrowed my eyes at his words. "I'd feel a mighty lot safer if I could just have my shotgun back."

"Rick ordered me to look after them and I'm not going to let him down." I told the man, firmly, not allowing any argument in my tone. Shane turned to me and stared down at me with a heavy gaze. Whatever statement he was going to come out with next was cut off when Dale called my name. I left the man's presence without a backwards glance.

Dale was perched on top of the RV, on watch as the rest of camp packed up. I greeted the old man with a smile and crouched down beside him, feeling safe to let the bag I had been trusted with fall beside me to allow my shoulder a rest.

"I take it Rick doesn't want the weapons handing out yet?" Dale guessed. I nodded and he smiled slightly. "Smart man. Shane can't be trusted and after his fiasco by the barn yesterday, he certainly cannot be trusted with a gun." I hummed my agreement with the man.

"Rick's trying to convince Herschel to come with us." I told him. "Maggie had already decided she's coming and is trying to convince the others to come too." Dale nodded and this didn't appear to surprise him.

"Rick won't leave them behind." He sighed. "It's not in his nature too. Especially after everything Herschel has done for his boy." I met the man's gaze and he smiled bitterly, glancing over his shoulder. "They're scared."

"We all are." I admitted. Dale nodded.

"We have no heading, nothing concrete." He told me. "First it was Atlanta, then it was the CDC and the Fort Benning." Dale trailed off and looked down with sad eyes. "Guess all we do is keep running. Though running is illogical if we have no direction. We _can__'__t _do it forever."

"And who says we won't find something?" I suggested, surprised by the lightness in my tone. Dale glanced at me. "You have the tone of someone who's giving up. Kinda reminds me of me." I shrugged and looked out across the fields. "There's been plenty of times when I wanted to just give up." I admitted to the man before me. "When I escaped from that group with two others, I felt like there was hope. For once, I felt like we could survive and sometimes I would forget about the horrors and nightmare that we live in now." A pause. "But I got separated from them and that was the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced since the outbreak. Ever since it began, I had been with someone, never alone." I met Dale's gaze. "I'm not sure if you've ever been alone in this new world, Dale, but I can tell you that nothing ever prepares you for it. It's a wonder how I've survived."

"But you did." Dale pointed out, lightly with a smile. "You're sat before me now and you survived." I smiled slightly and nodded.

"That's what I mean," I began. "_I _have survived when I thought there was no hope. _Me. _If I can do it, then so can the group. You're strong and I know have been through a lot. But that's only made you stronger. I know this may seem terrifying but I don't think this will break you. Your group will survive this."

"_Our _group will survive this." Dale corrected me softly, smiling warmly at me. _The sentiment today was infectious. _I smiled despite myself and turned away from Dale's piercing gaze to stare out across the field.

Only to spot movement in the tree line.

A figure.

A man.

_Laurent. _

Fear froze me as I stared at the familiar shape of the man between the trees, he was unmistakable from even this distance, his grey hair blaring at me, his strong stance a familair sight - practically indented into my memory. I couldn't move, couldn't think. Suddenly though, my nightmares came true when more figures appeared between the trees around him, objects that looked suspiciously like guns in their hands, and I knew then that we were in trouble.

_Oh God. _

"They've found us." I muttered, eyes wide with fear. I saw Dale's head wipe around out of the corner of my eye and no doubt focus on what I was seeing. I could practically see the smirk on the Boss's lips form here. "Oh my God."

A single gun shot rang out across the skies, followed by a scream.

Turning around, I saw the bullet had pierced a tree, not so far from Shane's head. The group stopped in the tracks and I saw horror crease their faces at what they saw. Shane's head turned to me and I could feel the mutual agreement between us.

I wasted no time throwing the bag of guns down to him and they were distributed quickly. Lori wasted no time screaming for her husband, who rushed out followed by the Greenes.

"What's happening?" Herschel demanded, eyes landing on the distributed weapons with furious eyes and I knew he immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"No you don't understand-" Dale tried calling from the top of the RV. Though he didn't get far. Another shot rang out and everything seemed to stop.

I turned to Dale and felt suddenly sick when I saw the blood slipping down from his neck. He had been shot in the neck. I gasped in horror, trying to catch him as he collapsed, falling off the side of the RV. I wasted no time jumping down though and rushing to the man. Screams were heard, as were the bellowing voices of the men giving orders. I cradled Dale's head in my lap, trying to stop the wound in his neck, ignoring the heavy feeling that I knew he would not make it.

"Dale!" Andrea's voice screamed, suddenly appearing beside me. "It's going to be alright Dale, it'll be fine." She sobbed out, attempting to hold the wound like I was. Dale opened and closed his mouth like a fish, coughing up blood all over us. This made Andrea sob harder.

"Ruby, Andrea! Come on!" Rick's voice screamed. Gun shots were fired, though everything seemed to be dulled out, only Dale mattered right now.

"You can't leave me, Dale." Andrea begged. "Please don't leave me." His eyes appeared to seek her out, holding her tear glazed ones with his dying gaze. There was a moment of silence as the two connected one final time before Dale's body slumped back and his eyes glazed over, seeing no more. "Dale?" Andrea tried one last time.

Chaos ensued around us. Some of the group were attempting to gather into vehicles, some were firing bullets towards our attackers. Andrea and myself remained beside Dale's body, unable to move.

"Andrea we need to go." I urged, swallowing back the tears. She shook her head once and I opened my mouth to speak again, only to spot something over her shoulder.

Shane's figure was stood in front of the barn - how he had managed to get over there without being shot was beyond me. His shot gun was raised and aimed. It was only the second before the deafening shot of his gun firing when I realised what he had done.

_He had let the walkers out of the barn. _

"Oh my God."

"RUN!"

* * *

_(Author's Note): Well I hope that was tense enough for you all! I'm not so great at writing actions scenes but hopefully that was alright for you all. Quite a lot of action in this chapter! _

_No one shoot me for killing Dale! I'm sorry, but I warned you that I would be killing characters off. No one is safe at the moment and I won't promise to stick to who dies and who survives in the show! Perhaps some unexpected deaths will occur, some you may hate very much. Anyone want to hazzard a guess to who will die next? Or perhaps any requests on who you want to survive? And I know it's probably quite bad, but hopefully Dale's death had some justice done to it, though I doubt it will be as good as it was in the show. _

_To answer a question from a reader, _Capriicious_, about my plans regarding this story and season three. After reading the comics and having season three start just recently, I think it's more than definite than I'll be taking the story to the prison one way or another. How lifes pans out for characters in the prison may differ from expected and could potentially be a mixture of both the show and the comics, though details I'm unsure of at the moment. So to answer your question, whilst I won't copy season three's plot action-by-action, yes I'll using ideas from it. I hope that's the answer you wanted and thank you for your kind review :) _

_I apologise for any mistakes in this chapter as I posted this in a rush! I'll try to remember to go back and change them at some point. Thank you for all the comments already, please feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter; good or bad, I don't mind. _


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_Chapter Nineteen_

_Run. _

Quickly, I scrambled to my feet and knew I was in terrible trouble. They were _everywhere _and the truck was nowhere in sight.

They had left me - Michonne and Merle had _left me. _

I realised that it wasn't the time to dwell on the matter and knew I had to get out of this situation while I had the chance. Without thinking, I scrambled toward the house we had just recently vacated; at least I knew it was secure enough to hold them off a little while. Discarding any chances of being silent, I took to shooting at the dead, aiming for the brain and making a path through them toward the front door.

Adrenaline coursed through me and all I could think about was how much I didn't want to die right now. _Not like this. _

Forcefully, I slammed the front door shut, throwing my whole weight against it when some of them tried to knock it down and tried to bolt the lock. Their rotting hands pounded heavily against the wood, but I had enough strength to hold my own against them and was able to bolt it secure. Even when the lock was on and I was safely inside the house, I felt anything but _safe_. The snarls and banging were loud and fierce, there was no way they would just get bored and leave me alone. They had the prospect of dinner and there was no way they were giving up on me now.

I forced myself not to be sick as I leant with my back against the door. Images of the truck pulling away and leaving me blared in my brain and I thumped my head painfully against the wood in frustration. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the remainder of what ammo I had left. _Little to none_. The rest was in the truck. With Merle and Michonne.

"Fuck!" I cried. _I was literally fucked._

* * *

Everything was happening so quickly. _Too quickly. _

There was the echoing blaze of gunfire as each side continued firing at each other, on top of that there were the distant yelling of orders. I found myself crouched beside a recently deceased friend, with Andrea's immobile body in front of me. We weren't in a very good position _at all. _

"Rick, we gotta get out of here!" Glenn's voice echoed over the noise. There were various screams and crying and I didn't want to look for who was making them yet - I was still recovering from Dale, I couldn't take any more deaths so soon. Though I knew that the hope everyone else would be safe and alive was a pathetic one now.

"Andrea, we need to leave." I begged the sobbing woman.

"I can't leave him." She cried, tearfully. I grasped her shoulders and shook her until she raised her eyes to mine.

"He wouldn't want you to give up like this, to die like this. He'd want you to be safe and that's why we gotta go now." Andrea stared at me before turning back to Dale. With one last sob she nodded, prying herself from the dead man that was once someone she cared for so dearly.

In an instance, Andrea had found herself a gun and was joined the defence from our attack. I observed the woman one last time before turning around and frantically looking for the children.

What I saw was horrific. The walkers from the barn had scattered out across the fields, some going towards Laurent and his group, some coming towards us. A bonus to Shane's plan was that with the walkers were dangerous for Laurent and his group, keeping them distracted. However a disadvantage was that they were highly dangerous to _us _too.

Before I could even shout a warning, I watched in horror as a walker grabbed hold of an unsuspected Patricia and sank it's teeth into her neck without hesitation. Her scream pierced through the air and I was frozen with shock as Jimmy rushed forward to help her, only to be tackled by a large group of them. His screams joined hers and I mourned silently for their deaths, biting back the imminent sobs within me.

_Dear God it was carnage. _

Cars began to start up and I watched as Carl and Sophia were bundled into the back of the RV by Lori and sighed with relief when the door shut and they were safe. I was still discomforted by the fact I was unable to locate _everyone_. I could here gun shots all around me, hear their voices shouting out. But I felt lost, alone, _vulnerable_.

I dodged quickly when a walker reached out for me and rushed toward the gun bag to find myself a weapon. I settled for a large rifle and quickly dispatched the walker, aiming for the middle of the forehead. It fell, dead.

A sudden explosion caught my attention and I turned around to see a shocking scene. Herschel stood facing his barn, unusually still for the current situation, staring up at the building before him as it burst up into flames. How it had caught fire, I did not know, but I couldn't help but feel pain as the building was devoured by the hungry flames. Though it was only a barn, I knew the effect it was causing Herschel - this was his home, _his home, _and it was being destroyed right before his eyes.

"Everyone get out of here!" It sounded distinctively like Rick, and I turned around to watch the RV start up and pull away, Andrea at the wheel. The green Hyundai followed in hot pursuit and I heard the sounds of the Chevrolet starting up somewhere and I realised then that my chance of escape was about to slip away.

Frantically, I pushed my way through the staggering walkers and attempted to keep cover from the storm of bullets. I needed to reach the car before they left, otherwise I may be stranded here.

Just then, I saw headlights and heard the roar of an engine. Unfortunately though, the noise began to get further and further away and I watched in horror as the red car pulled away from the farm, leaving me behind.

I had been left behind _again. _

Suddenly the bullets stopped and I gathered Laurent and the group probably assumed everyone was either dead or had gone. Quickly, I knew I had to leave or hide. _Before they found me. _

"C'mon boys!" A sickeningly familiar voice cried. I ducked down behind the chicken coop, trying to figure out what to do next. "Looks like we got ourselves a new home!" There was a gathering of cheers from the group at the Governor's announcement and I could feel myself shaking with fear. "Is there any survivors?"

_Please say no, please say no, please say no-_

"Looks like we found ourselves the farmer's daughter, Boss!" One of the men hollered. I froze with fear, feeling my heart drop at his words.

"No, please!" _Beth, it was Beth. _God, I felt sick. I edged my head around the coop corner to watch the group, who were gathered in front of the farm house. Bodies lay on the group, most dead walkers, though some were our fallen members. Thrown at the feet of the Governor was a terrified looking Beth.

"Well, ain't you a pretty lady." Governor muttered, a sickening grin appearing on his disgusting face. _Do something! _I screamed to myself, though I was unable to move at all. "What's your name?"

"B-Beth." She stuttered, her eyes darted around the group. "Please don't hurt me!" _Oh God, she was begging. _I gripped the rifle in my hand, observing the group and counting the numbers, comparing them to the number of rounds I had. The ratio was most definitely uneven and there was a certainty that both Beth and myself would die if I decided to act. I knew what I had to do.

_Oh, but it__'__s _Beth!

The Governor crouched down to reach eye level with the sobbing girl and sneered at her terrified expression.

"I'm afraid our ranks are full at the moment, Beth, so I'm afraid I cannot offer you the warm gesture of joining our group." The men pretended to feign sighing at this comment. "And as you're a liability, I don't really see the need to keep you alive-"

"No!" Beth sobbed. The Governor remained impassive.

"However," The words paused Beth's sobs. "I suppose that before I dispose of you, it's only fair that I allow my men the pleasure of your-" He paused to rake his eyes down her body, causing Beth to curl into herself. "Talents." Beth shook her head, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "My men are getting terribly bored of the same old toys." With one last wink, the Governor rose to his feet and turned his attention to Laurent. "_We__'__ll_ check the house whilst the boys have their fun."

With a tight nod, Laurent gave Beth one last glance before walking around her and making his way towards the house without a backward glance. The Governor did the same, though there was a certain level of grace and pride in his step. _Bastards. _

Beth's screams made me shudder and I hitched a sob before looking away, unable to watch the scene before me. Thinking about all I had learnt living with these men, I remembered what Michonne had told me the first time I had seen this occurrence happen.

Letting the tears roll down my face, I took the advantage of _distraction_ to make a run towards the forest.

* * *

I had to think fast. The banging was getting increasingly louder and I knew that meant I had attracted more of them. I didn't allow myself to dwell too much on Michonne and Merle and focused mainly on getting out alive.

_The back door. _

Quickly, I sprinted through the house and almost threw myself at the door. I unbolted it with shaking hands and opened it, raising my bat above my head, ready to strike. Thankfully the dead hadn't realised that there was also a back entrance yet and I was greeted with about half a dozen of them dotted around the garden.

Without a moment's pause, I made a run for it, darting through the staggering bodies and trying to manoeuvre myself somewhere safe. _Though, where was safe? _

As I darted through the bodies, aiming to reach the outskirts of this small town we had settled in, I hoped that perhaps I would run into the other two. Though surely if they were going to come back for me, they'd have come already?

I grunted in surprise as one of the dead staggered out of nowhere, startling me, but I quickly took it out. Panting, I looked around. Most of the dead were still pounding on the house, assuming my presence was still within. Only a handful were staggering in my direction. I was able to get away, that much was obvious, though the sickening feeling in my stomach still remained and rendered me incapable of moving for a few moments as I observed the house I had previously held up in with my once comrades.

They hadn't come back for me. The mistake had been made, though it could have easily have been undone by Michonne turning the truck around and coming back for me. _But they didn__'__t. _They had left me behind, fending for myself in the midst of hell. After everything I had been through with the pair, I merely been left behind without a second thought.

I grimaced at the house and turned away, setting off at a speedy pace in the direction Michonne and Merle had headed. I intended to find them and when I did they sure had hell to pay for what they had done.

* * *

I wasn't sure which way I was running to, all I knew was that I was heading _away _from the farm and the hell it held. I wasn't sure who had survived the attack, though I knew some had escaped in the vehicles. Patricia, Jimmy, Dale and Beth had all be left behind, their fate decided. I mourned for the fallen and prayed that was the extent of our losses.

Pausing, I leant back against a thick barked tree, attempting to catch my breath. I checked the ammo in my rifle and was relieved to see I had quite a few rounds left. My only other weapon was my knife, as I had left my handgun and baseball bat behind in the rush. I was slightly put out by this, as each of my three weapons has accompanied me throughout the outbreak and now I had lost two out of three of them. _I'd get over it. _

What had become of Toby was another worry of mine. The dog was smart, that much I knew. Surely it had gotten out with the rest? And if Toby had survived then surely Daryl had too? The pair had bonded quite tightly.

The sound of twigs snapping caught my attention and I was on full alert. The following sounds of snarls and groans were enough to confirm the passing of a walker. I moved quickly, taking out my knife and not allowing myself to hesitate as I thrusted the hunting blade into the rotted skull of the walker. There were the usual sounds of snarling and crunching before the walker fell limp and dropped down dead. I panted heavily, letting my guard down.

_A bad mistake. _

One would think I would learn from past experiences but I was getting lazy and tired after the events of the day. A hand gripped my shoulder and the smell of death filled my nose. I turned around, greeted by a hungry face and felt useless as it's teeth almost attacked my neck.

In the next second though, the walker had collapsed in front of me and I couldn't help but grin at the sight of the arrow bolt in it's skull.

"Well, ain't this familiar?" A voice muttered from between the cover of bushes.

Suddenly a four legged creature bounded forward, tackling me to the ground. I would have been scared if I wasn't immediately attacked by a canine tongue licking my face. I wrapped my arms around Toby's neck, grinning into his fur.

"Daryl?" I asked, looking up hopefully. Sure enough, Daryl Dixon immerged from the cover of trees, crossbow in hand, eyes alert. He glanced around the immediate area before holding out his hand to me. I took it and he hauled me to my feet.

"Good to see someone livin'." Daryl murmured, his face exhausted and gruff. "Just you?" I nodded. "You know what happened to the others?"

"Dale's dead." I blurted out. Daryl's eyes dropped.

"Yeah, I saw-" He trailed off, coughing uncomfortably. There was a moment of silence as we remembered our fallen friend.

"Jimmy and Patricia got attacked by walkers." I carried on. Daryl met my gaze and his jaw clenched. He nodded once in acknowledgement. "And Beth got left behind with the other group." Daryl's eyes darkened and he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the farm. "She'll be dead within the hour no doubt."

"And the others?" Daryl asked, still facing away from me. I shrugged despite this, following his gaze above the trees towards the clouds of black smoke rising from something in that direction - Herschel's barn no doubt.

"I can't be sure for everyone," I began. "I definitely saw Andrea drive away in the RV with Lori, Carl and Sophia. The other two cars were taken also but I don't know who was driving them." Daryl nodded finally and turned back to face me.

"At least some got out." He muttered and I nodded in agreement. "C'mon, we better get movin' incase those bastards come lookin'." Holding his crossbow defiantly, Daryl took to leading, making his way away from the farm. I sighed deeply and trotted after him.

"So you got left behind too?" I asked. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me with an eyebrow raise.

"Not exactly." Daryl replied. "Stuck around to make sure no one was left. Could of gotten into a truck, I suppose, but I didn't." He shrugged and I smiled slightly.

"So you stuck around to make sure everyone was okay?" Daryl slowed his steps and I saw his back tense. "And here was me thinking you didn't care about anyone in the group." At this, Daryl spun on me, eyes hard though full of undistinguished emotions. I gazed back, waiting for his response.

"We look out for each other as a group." He muttered, eyes narrowing though his posture was uncomfortable. "Anyone else would have done the same." I smiled slightly at the firmness of his words and this seemed to make his more uncomfortable.

Just then though, a sickening scream filled the air, startling Daryl and I. It was a woman screaming, that was for definite. And it sounded familiar.

Without thinking, I burst off into the direction it came from, Daryl called lamely for me to stop but I heard his quick footsteps follow almost instantly.

I prayed silently in my head for the scream to not belong to who I thought it belonged to, though my heart knew better. That sickening feeling I felt when I watched Dale die in my arms came back and I urged my legs to move faster.

Finally, I reached a clearing of some description and stopped at the scene before me. A body - a _person - _lay on the floor, a snarling walker on top of them, trying to rip at them. Sobs and muffled _feminine _screams could be heard from the person.

"Hey!" Daryl called, having caught up with me. The noise alerted the walker's attention and it paused for a mere moment. However, a mere moment was enough for Daryl to fire an arrow into the back of it's skull, ceasing it's existence.

The dead walker was pushed off and I rushed forward to the person it had been trying to kill.

_Carol. _

"Oh God." I cried, kneeling beside her and helping her sit up. She was dishevelled and had a terrified expression on her face.

"Ruby?" She breathed, staring up at me. I heard Daryl approach, though he remained standing a feet or so away. "I thought I was the only one left." Carol wheezed and I frowned. _Was she injured? _"I wasn't prepared. I didn't think he would attack me. I thought-" She trailed off, staring at the dead walker. I followed her gaze and felt my heart lurch at the familiar set of clothes the walker was wearing.

Daryl approached the walker then, who was laying on it's stomach it's face away from us. He prodded it once with the butt of his crossbow before rolling the walker onto it's back. The impact of realisation caused Daryl to stumble back.

_It was Dale. _

"Impossible." I whispered. "He was shot!" I cried suddenly. Daryl leant over and nodded.

"Definitely a bullet wound in his neck. Maybe he was bitten before he succumbed to his injury?" I shook my head.

"He _died _in my arms." I muttered forcefully. Daryl examined the body some more before nodding.

"No bite or scratch marks either." He scratched his head and frowned. "He shouldn't have turned." Carol's coughing brought us back to her presence and I turned to her. Her face was pale and she was shaking heavily.

"Carol?" I asked timidly. "Are you alright?" Carol coughed once more before meeting my gaze with a saddened smile. She said no words, though revealed the arm she had been hiding by her side.

It was coated with blood and there was a prominent _bite mark _there.

_She had been bitten. _

"No, Oh God, no." I shook my head, already feeling the tears building. _Not again, please not again. _Though my wishes were useless and I looked up at Carol to see a soft gaze and a kind smile.

"It's alright." She told me, turning to Daryl and nodded. "It's alright." She repeated to him as if in confirmation. Daryl stood speechless, staring down at the pair of us with an expression I couldn't place. His crossbow was lowered in his slumped arm and Carol nodded to it. "Would you mind?" Daryl's face immediately paled and he looked away to rub a hand over his face and through his hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" I sobbed. Carol shushed me.

"It wasn't you fault." She told me firmly, reaching forward to stroke my cheek and tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Remember what I said to you this morning, Ruby. You are _family _now. And I know you'll look after Sophia for me. I can think of no one better to look after my baby girl for me. She'll be safe with you, I know that. I _trust _you." Images of the little girl's heart-broken face came to mind and the tears streamed down my face. Carol turned to Daryl. "Don't push yourself away from these people, Daryl. You _need _them, just like they need you. Please look after them for me."

I couldn't hear Daryl's muttered response though I felt his hand grip my arm gently and urge me to my feet. I let him only because I had no energy to fight him. Carol smiled up at the pair of us, though I could see the life dying in her eyes.

"Look after each other." She told us firmly. "And tell Sophia that I love her." The last smile she bestowed upon me was enough and I couldn't help but turn away and walk over to a nearby tree, which I leant against to hide my sobbing face.

Silence filled the air for a moment before the sound of Daryl's crossbow firing echoed out, like a knife piercing through me.

_Carol was dead. _Gone.

More silence followed afterwards and I was startled when a hand gripped my shoulder. I spun around to find Daryl in front of me, standing in the way of where Dale and Carol's bodies lay. His expression was emotionless though his eyes held his pain. I met his gaze with my broken one, trying to display everything I wanted to say with one look. Daryl nodded sadly and I broke down completely.

I practically fell into Daryl's arms, needing to feel close to someone after everything that had happened. Wrapping my arms around him, I burrowed my face into his chest. There was a nervous moment when he didn't respond and I felt his body tense, though hesitant arms wrapped themselves around me as Daryl held me, allowing me to cry into his shirt.

We mourned together in the silence, remembering our friends. One thought crossed my mind and that was that this would be the last time we would mourn for the fallen.

_Though that was a false hope._

After what seemed like hours of compatible silence, Daryl pried my grip off of him and muttered it was time to go. We moved away from the clearing quickly, leaving the bodies of our fallen friends behind, in a bid to get as far away from the farm as we could. Neither of us spoke, merely walked in silence as we trundled through the forest. Daryl lead the way, as expected, and Toby kept himself behind me, as if willing me to keep moving forward. He must have sensed all I wanted to do was sit down and give up right now.

"Where will we go?" I asked suddenly, breaking the unspoken rule of silence between us. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me and slowed his pace so I could walk beside him.

"Gotta find the others." He explained softly. "If they left together, then they'll all be together. We need to meet up with them somehow before they move on without us." I nodded mutely, thankful that Daryl had taken charge on the situation.

"Where do you think they'll be?" I glanced at Daryl, catching a damp patch on his shirt - from where I had cried on him.

I cringed slightly, surprised still that he didn't mind the close contact as much as I expected him to and had even reciprocated the hug. When we had pulled apart he even offered a small, sad smile and made sure I was alright first before we moved on. _Perhaps the hard man did care? _

"Reckon we should try the highway first." Daryl replied. "Best lead we got. If I know Rick, he'll go there first and wait for the others." He paused, eyes scanning the trees. "See if there's anyone left behind."

"How long will it take us to get to the highway?" I turned to look up at him, not quite appreciating his height until now.

I had always assumed Daryl was quite short until then, though perhaps he was just short in comparison to the other men in the group. He was almost a head taller than myself, I noted. His appearance was still the same as before, his hair ruffled and messy and his skin layered with dirt, though there was something that made me stop and appreciate him for a moment. Perhaps it was the fact his expression wasn't hard and unreadable and was instead softer than usual; _kinder. _Or perhaps it was the fact I had never truly _looked _at Daryl until now. Never truly saw him for who he was.

I felt my cheeks redden as I continued to stare up at Daryl, thoughts racing through my head, and looked away before the hunter noticed my appreciative gaze.

"With a map and car, a couple of hours at the most." Daryl sighed. "Though we don't have a map or a car so it may take us a little longer."

_Of course._

I nodded in response and silence fell between us again. This time though, Daryl didn't resume his place in front and remained beside me, keeping at the same pace as me and making sure I didn't stumble or trail behind.

I was very glad that I had found Daryl Dixon amongst the chaos.

* * *

The strange noise was deafening, echoing constantly through the air. It sounded distinctively like a car alarm.

I should have known better than to approach the noise - any noise that_ I_ can hear, _the dead_ can no doubt hear too - though I couldn't help but feel curious at the odd sound. With a frown on my face, my weapons prepared, I made my way toward the noise ready to investigate.

Having successfully made it out of all the gathering of the dead, I was happy to see the streets deserted on this side of town. After the commotion at the house, it seemed that every dead for miles had reacted to the noise we three had made and had vacated the streets to go have a look. This worked out well for myself.

Though I still hadn't found Merle or Michonne yet.

The noise grew louder and I knew it was only around the corner. I readied myself before I moved closer, cocking my gun and having my bat on hand ready. After a silent count of three, I made my way around the corner to have a look.

A car wreckage was what I saw, a truck having apparently swerved and driven straight into a large tree. The bonnet was ruined and smoke hissed from the engine. When I approached, I saw broken glass from the windows and the air bags inflated from the impact. It looked a horrible accident, though there were no bodies. It took me only a moment to realise that the truck was horribly familiar.

It was _our truck_.

I rushed forward, terrified to find my two comrades dead or dying from the accident. Blood was something I saw when I approached and I feared the worst. I rushed to the cab first, glancing in, a name on my lips.

"Michonne?" The cab and front seat was empty. I frowned and turned to the bed of the truck. I rushed to the back, expecting to find Merle sprawled out across the bed, grumbling a string of insults and holding his head in pain. Though the bed was empty. "Merle?" I breathed, my arms slumping to the side.

The noise of the car alarm pierced through me and I groaned. I moved to the crushed front of truck and began to pull at wires until the alarm ceased. What I was left with was the bitter silence. _They had gone. _

I glanced around me, expecting them to appear, though I was met with nothing. I tried to piece together what had occurred in my head, but all I came up with was the obvious; they had left me, crashed the truck and abandoned it to run. I noted that all the supplies in the back had gone, so obviously they had taken it with them. I couldn't help the intense emotion of anger than carried on building up within me.

"_Where are you?!" _I screeched at the silence, suddenly feeling so tired and exhausted with everything. I slumped back against the truck, letting my head drop onto my knees as I tried to gather my thoughts.

The sound of grumbling and shuffling caught my attention and I sighed. I was in no mood to fight so I guess it was my time to die. I lifted my head, reading to face the hungry eyes only to frown at what I saw.

_Toby._

The dog stood in front of me, head cocked to one side as he observed me in my defeated form. Amongst the rush, I had forgotten that Toby was with the pair of them and couldn't explain the surprise I felt staring at the animal in front of me.

Toby walked forward and nudged my hand, making me realise that he was in fact real. I patted the dog lightly for a moment before engulfing him into a tight embrace. He squirmed in my arms and I couldn't help but laugh, letting him go so he could bound away a few steps. He retreated back though and smiled at the dog's obedience.

So perhaps I wasn't so alone in this world?

* * *

How Daryl could navigate his way through the forest was beyond me. Every tree, every bush, every leaf looked the same to me. And yet Daryl was able to distinguish our heading just like that, without even the aid of a compass.

"Where did you learn how to track?" I asked, yearning for conversation.

"Gotta learn how to track if ya wanna hunt. Otherwise ya might as well be chasing shadows." Daryl replied, smirking down at me lightly. I rolled my eyes. "Learnt from my Pa when I was a kid, was tradition in my family to know how to hunt 'nd track."

"So, the big scary crossbow is actually used for something else other than killing walkers?" I muttered. Daryl chuckled and raised his weapon slightly.

"Been mine since I was 'bout Sophia's age." He told me. "Got it as a birthday gift." I widened my eyes slightly in mild shock.

"Most young boys want toy cars for their birthday." I said, raising an eyebrow. He grinned and shrugged.

"Not me." He replied. "Best birthday present I've ever got. I mean, comes in pretty handy now." I nodded in agreement and glanced down at the rifle in my hands.

"So, you were pretty prepared for when the world ended." I noted. "Suppose you're quite happy that you're a redneck now." Daryl smirked at this.

"Yeah, when all you prissy city folk were shitting ya pants, me 'nd my brother were laughin' it up 'nd sittin' pretty." I turned to Daryl at this.

"Brother?" I asked, watching Daryl's face harden slightly and noted how he avoided my gaze all of a sudden. "Sorry, I didn't think-"

"Don't matter." Daryl cut in, meeting my gaze finally. He smiled at me - _smiled, not smirked. _"My brother ain't dead, I just can't find him." Despite the context of his words, I couldn't help but laugh. It was a stupid thing to laugh about but Daryl's light, careless tone was enough to set me off and I was thankful that Daryl continued to smile as I continued to laugh.

"You _lost _your brother?" I asked. He shrugged carelessly. "How?"

"Was 'is own stupid fault. Should 'ave just stayed where he was 'nd waited for me to come get 'im." Daryl said.

"And where did you 'lose' your brother?" I asked.

"Atlanta." Daryl told me. "Back when Rick first joined us. My brother went on a supply run with Glenn, Andrea, T-Dog 'nd some others. Was the first time he had gone, usually my brother 'nd me stayed away from shit like that, but Shane volunteered my brother forward. He ended up pissin' people off 'nd Rick handcuffed 'im to the roof 'pparently and T-Dog lost the key so they had to leave 'im behind." There was a pause. "When we went back to get 'im, he was gone. Son of a bitch cut off his own hand to escape."

_"How did you lose your hand? Before or after the outbreak?"_

_"After." He breathed, so quietly I barely heard the man. "Lost it in Atlanta. Went on a supply run with some jackasses, got handcuffed to a roof by officer fucking friendly. Dumb nigga dropped the God Damn key and left me there to get eaten by some rotting, nasty geeks." He paused, hand tightening over his wrist. "Had to cut it off with a saw to get free."_

I stopped in my tracks, realisation suddenly hitting me at the speed of a truck. The familiarity was forced into my face in that instant moment and it was like I had hit a wall. I was unable to move, merely stare at Daryl, who had stopped too; probably in confusion of my actions.

"Ruby?" He asked, eyes narrowing. "You alright?"

My breathing got heavy and I swallowed hard, shaking my head, trying to forget the familiarity between Daryl and someone who had left me behind.

"What is his name?" I breathed, finding my voice at last. Daryl paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow in question. "What is your brother's name?" I repeated, urging him not to say the name I knew he was going to. _But when were things ever that easy? _

"Merle." Daryl replied slowly, his eyes studying me, trying to work out what had made me so uneasy. "My brother's name is Merle."

_Merle Fucking Dixon._

* * *

_(Author's Note): A quick update for you all! You proud of me? Things still aren't looking so cheerful for our characters I'm afraid, but thank you for your responses to the last couple of updates. Apologises for the cussing in the latest chapters by the way! Tell me if I should boost the rating up or warn people of harsh language involved._

_Starters, Ruby has finally realised the familiarty between Daryl and Merle! Thank the Lord, took her time! ;) _

_Carol's dead! God, I was hesitant to write this in! I know she's not dead in the TV show, but like I said, no one is safe. I have hopefully done her character some justice and fingers crossed you don't hate me for killing her off. _

_On a note on the last chapter; Michonne talking to herself. Yes, in the show she seems perfectly sane and mentally strong and such, but in the comics Michonne talks to herself quite a few incidents throughout. So those who wondered why I added that can be assured that there is truth behind it and it is indeed in her character to talk to herself! ;) _

_The third episode to season three allowed us to see Michonne and Merle (welcome back!) in action and I was surprised how soft (wrong word, I know) Merle was. I'm kinda glad he wasn't all tough and mean like he was in season one and it creates a better character to watch. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Or season three in general? I guess the Merle in my story is a lot nicer than expected, but as Ruby and Michonne have helped him escape and survive, I think he would be a little bit nicer towards them than expected, especially Ruby. - I'm just ranting now! ;) _

_I do intend to make this story Ruby/Daryl but I struggle to allow their relationship to grow faster than it is at the moment. I know some must be getting quite tired of the waiting, but I don't see a way around their relationship with Daryl being who he is. Fluff moments are a bit of a struggle when writing a story like this! Though please, if anyone has any suggestions on how to broaden their relationship, then tell me! I'll be ever so grateful! _

_Thank you very much :) _


	21. Chapter Twenty

_Chapter Twenty_

I must have remained silent for a long time as I saw Daryl tense and grip his crossbow tighter. I didn't fail to notice that he raised it a little higher either. I swallowed down the hard lump in my throat as I tried to figure out what I was going to say next. _How on earth was I going to explain this to him? _

"Why are you so interested in my brother?" Daryl demanded quietly. I noticed the friendly tone had long gone now and back was his hard exterior, much like our first meeting. I wouldn't be surprised if he threatened to shoot me in the head again.

"Because-" I stuttered, trying to find a way to make my confession logical. _Why was this so hard? _"Because I know him." Daryl's expression betrayed nothing and he merely remained staring me down. I held his gaze, inferior to his harsh stare.

"What?" He asked quietly - _dangerously. _I took a step back involuntarily, succumbing to fear behind his stare, though to Daryl it must have been a suspicious action as he raised his crossbow in an instant and had it aimed at my head. _There you go._ "Stay." He commanded. I swallowed hard but remained still. "Start explainin', girl."

"He-" I stuttered. "He was one of the people I escaped with from the other group." Daryl's eyes narrowed and I carried on quickly. "Michonne - the other one - and I were planning to escape when the Boss brought Merle into camp. They had his tied up and they- they tortured him." I paused to judge Daryl's reaction. Nothing. "I was sent to tend to his wounds and I offered him the chance to come with us, I couldn't leave him behind. He accepted and joined Michonne and I in our escape."

"Where's he now?" Daryl asked - more _demanded_.

"I don't know." I told him, honestly. "We stayed together for weeks, holding up in different houses and moving through towns. We knew they'd be after us so we had to keep moving. But one day," I grimaced at those bitter memories. "One day we planned on moving on and things got complicated."

"How?"

"Our plan fell to bits, though it was easy enough; Michonne was the driver, whilst Merle and I packed our truck up with our supplies. But there was a miscommunication and Michonne ended up driving away before I could get into the truck." I swallowed again. "They left me behind." Sighing, a ran a hand through my hair. "I found the truck wrapped around a tree, supplies and passengers gone. I don't know what happened to either of them but all I know is that they didn't come back for me." Daryl's eyes implored me, taking in every word I spoke. "I didn't know Merle was your brother, I didn't even know he had a brother!"

After a long moment of silence, Daryl lowered his crossbow but not his gaze. I tried to remain defiant beneath it as I waited for his reply. Now I knew the truth, it was a punch in the gut. How these two men could be brothers was beyond me but somehow there was definitely something familiar between them. It had irked me for so long and now I knew the truth, I couldn't help the images of Merle creep up in my mind. His mocking words constantly echoed within me.

"C'mon, we better keep movin'." Daryl muttered, not even waiting for me to reply before walking away. After a moment of shock, I stumbled after him.

* * *

I took what I could from the wreckage of the truck before moving on quickly, no wanting to stick around for any of the dead to stumble by. With Toby at my heels, we took off towards the outskirts of town. My plan was to find somewhere to hold up for the night, somewhere where I could rest and rethink my next move, hopefully finding some more supplies in the process.

Toby obeyed me perfectly, following me without a noise. I was comforted by his presence and was thankful he stayed behind instead of following Merle and Michonne.

Before night fell upon us, we found a small shack on the outskirts and I decided it would do. The windows were half-heartedly boarded up and though the door wasn't so sturdy, it would have to hold for the night. After taking out the dead inhabitants silently, I dragged their bodies outside and prepared everything quickly before things got too dark to see what I was doing.

I found a limited amount of food in the tiny kitchen, but it was a blessing even so. I worked my way through the house, finding a rucksack in one of the bedrooms and packing all I had into it. I had little to work with, but despite this I felt better than expected, considering all that had happened.

When night hit, I settled for sleeping in an upstairs room, Toby sleeping at the top of the stairs with full view of the front door. I was by far from happy with my new situation, but I was exhausted and fell to sleep almost instantly. _Not without a few nightmares of course._

* * *

We carried on for hours in silence. Not a word was spoken between us and I wondered if this new realisation had destroyed the friendship that was growing between Daryl and I. I didn't attempt to make conversation with the hunter though I would cast the occasional glance his way. Daryl seemed to remain with the same stone hard expression, never even moving an inch between my subtle glances. I knew he was just processing what I had told him and I couldn't know how much this knowledge of his brother meant to him.

I thought of Merle _Dixon _as we made our way through the forest. How Merle and I had began our odd companionship with him throwing slurring insults my way to the point where I would trust the handless man with my life. Whilst Michonne had taught me valuable lessons of this now new horrifying world, Merle had kept me grounded with blunt statements of optimism. I hadn't thought about it much until now, but those statements had aided me a lot during my survival. My last image of the man remained etched in my mind; his look of _horror _as I lay on the ground amongst the hungry walkers. He looked worried, horrified, at my situation.

I wondered briefly if they had mourned over me, having probably assumed my demise. _I realised that I would have mourned if it had been either of them._ I wondered then if they were still alive.

Darkness began to fall on us and Daryl muttered that we should make camp for the night. I half-heartedly suggested sleeping in a tree, an attempt to lighten the hunter's dark mood, though Daryl ignored my comment completely and nodded to something up ahead.

"There's higher ground over there, should provide enough cover for the night." He breathed. I nodded though Daryl didn't look at me for any confirmation.

We made the climb in silence (_surprisingly() _and I glanced around when we reached the top. We were raised above the ground below though were thankfully hidden from any walkers, or people, that may pass by. It was a good find on Daryl's behalf but didn't find it in me to say anything, especially with the hunter's current mood.

I hadn't noticed until now that Daryl carried a rucksack and was now rummaging through it on the floor. In the rush, I hadn't grabbed anything but the rifle and realised now how much of a mistake that was. I couldn't imagine Daryl would want to share any food he may have with me after everything. I concluded quite quickly that I would be starving for the night.

I was therefore surprised when Daryl raised his gaze to me.

"Hungry?" He muttered. There was no emotion behind his gaze, but I nodded despite myself. He grunted and pulled out a couple of cans and a can opener. I crept forward and seated myself down in front of him, at a steady distance. Toby was laid a few metres away from us, head rested on his paws and eyes closed. _Lucky sod. _

The situation was awkward between us and I watched as Daryl avoided all eye contact as he opened our dinner and handed one can to me. I thanked him quietly and we ate in equal silence.

I had a lot of questions for the hunter though and I couldn't contain myself from breaking the silence. The events of the day had exhausted and broken me. I _needed _some conversation.

"What happens now then?" I asked him, quietly. Daryl physically flinched at the sound of my voice and raised his gaze awkwardly.

"Continue headin' to the highway." He mumbled, looking away almost instantly.

"And if they're not there?" I questioned. He shrugged.

"Keep looking." Was that _irritation? _I sighed and looked down, dropping the conversation entirely. I clearly wasn't a favourite in Mr Dixon's good books.

After eating, I crawled away from the hunter, feeling uncomfortable in his presence, towards Toby to lie down. Night had fallen quite suddenly upon us and the forest lit up with it's nightlife. From this higher ground, I could see over the tops of some of the trees. Essence of smoke - no doubt from Herschel's burning barn - could just be visible in the direction we had come from and I was surprised we had walked so far within the day.

I could make out Daryl's figure a few feet away, lying on his back and looking up at the sky. I lay on my side and merely watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. It was relaxing and it helped me sort through my thoughts.

_Jimmy and Patricia were dead. _

_Dale was dead. _

_Carol was dead. _

_Beth was- Beth was _gone_. No doubt dead by now. _

_The farm was gone - our home. _

_For all we knew, everyone else could be dead too. _

_Daryl and I could be the only ones who survived. _

The tears were falling before I even realised. I couldn't control them and before I knew it, I was sobbing silently to myself - silently because I didn't want to anger Daryl anymore than I had done. My whole body shook, from exhaustion, the cold and from the tears. I bit my fist down so hard I would have bet that I drew blood, just to keep myself from making a noise.

"So my brother really said nothin' about me?" Daryl's voice cut through me like a knife and I stopped between my tears. I remained silent for a while, taking in his question. I noted that his voice wasn't cold and hard any more and was instead tired and soft - he was exhausted, just like me.

"He never really said a lot 'bout himself." I confessed quietly, wiping away the tears. I took the opening Daryl provided and gushed out all I could to fill the silence that had stretched before us over the long hours. "He preferred to talk in lengthily details about each zombie kill he made or moaning about every little problem like how bad my driving was or about how Michonne was a terrible cook." I chuckled a little to myself, thinking back on some memories I had with the pair of them. "He told me about what happened to his hand, how they left him handcuffed to a rooftop and left him there."

"T-Dog dropped the key." Daryl breathed, hanging on every word I spoke about his brother. "By accident." He added, softly. I smiled slightly, realising that Daryl may not have believed it was an accident when the situation first came about. Just goes to show how far these people have come _together_.

"I think he missed you." I cut in suddenly, without thinking. "I know he never said anything directly, but I knew there was always something he thought about. Whenever we would ask him about his family he would go real quiet for a while. I always thought it was to do with his hand but it didn't really add up." I paused, frowning as I thought about the subject of our discussion. "Your brother's an ass, Daryl." The statement was so blunt that Daryl breathed a harsh chuckle. It trembled slightly and I wondered if Daryl was trying to hold himself together. "But he always looked after us, despite his words. Despite every insult he threw at us, I knew he couldn't find it in him to leave us. Your brother was strong, Daryl, and a survivor. I don't doubt for a minute that he's still out there, running havoc on the walker world." Another chuckle; a broken chuckle. Which was then followed by a loud sniff. _Was he crying?_

"Why did ya help my brother in the first place?" Daryl asked, quietly. "Merle ain't the kinda guy who greets people all friendly-like." I laughed bitterly.

"He called me a bitch the first time I met him." I told the hunter. "But I couldn't leave him. Despite the fact your brother was an ass who is sexist, racist and generally vulgar with his words, he didn't deserve to die like that. I gave him the chance of freedom and he took it. He didn't have to stay with us once we were out, but he did. And it turned out that your brother wasn't that bad once you got to know him." Daryl was silent for a long while and I continued to watch him breathing in and out; it was soothing and had calmed my sobs down.

"Sorry for threatin' ya before." I gathered he meant the crossbow he had quite defiantly held in my face and I chuckled.

"It doesn't matter." Silence followed again, though this time it was more content. I could tell Daryl longed to ask more questions about his brother, though I wasn't sure how much I could provide for him. He would want to know where Merle was and that was something I certainly didn't know. It was something I wanted to know _myself. _

"We'll find him again." Daryl muttered suddenly. "The bastard will show his face sooner or later." I didn't reply to that, but I didn't think Daryl expected me to.

"Do you think the others are alright?" I asked, quietly. I heard shuffling as Daryl moved about a bit, no doubt to get comfier, before he sighed loudly.

"They can look after themselves. I'm sure they'll be just fine." He replied, softly. I smiled slightly, though a thought occurred to me suddenly and my smile faded.

"How will I tell Sophia about her mother?" I breathed, horrified at the thought. The question lingered in the air. The silence dragged and I remembered the final moments, the final smile Carol gave me, her final words. _She'll be safe with you, I know that. I trust you. Tell Sophia that I love her_

"I don't know." Daryl replied finally, his voice full of emotion. I knew her death had hit the hunter hard, but I also knew he wouldn't show it. Not if he could help it anyway.

"And what about what happened with Dale?" I asked, suddenly everything flowing back to me. "He hasn't bitten or scratched but he-" I swallowed, thinking about the horrible images of Dale on top of Carol - trying to _eat _her. "He _turned_." Another pause.

"I don't know." Daryl repeated. Another moment of silence.

"Today's been a pretty shitty day, hasn't it?" I muttered. Daryl laughed and I relaxed instantly at the sound.

"Yeah it has." He agreed. "On the bright side; tomorrow can't get any worse." I laughed at his words, agreeing with him, and we fell back into silence again. This time I gathered that was it for the night and it was time to rest. It was after a few moments when Daryl's words registered again in my head and a sudden thought occurred to me.

_His optimism reminded me of Merle. _And I smiled at the thought.

* * *

I was breathless. Tired. _Exhausted. _

I was running for my life, in and out through the trees, the stumbling footsteps and snarls following me. Their stench lingered all around me. It lingered everywhere I went now, I could never escape that smell. Then a thought occurred to me; that was because _that _was what the world smelled like now. The world smelled _Dead. _

Fear coursed throughout my body, though it was a numbing feeling now. Everyday now I had lived with fear. Though again I realised that that was just what the world was like now. The world was something to be _Feared. _

The dead were _everywhere. _You could never escape from them. Never truly _run _from them. No matter how quick you were or how well you hid.

It was _wrong _though. The dead shouldn't be _walking_. They should be in the ground, _dead _and buried. Not moving, standing, _walking. _No one could escape this disease, it seemed. Everyday, you were a risk of becoming one and it was frightening thought - terrifying actually. Something of nightmares.

The Dead inhabitated the world now. What was once ours, is now theirs. Everything we once knew was gone, dead and lost. We were mere beings trying to exist in the new order. Our time in this world appeared to be _borrowed _now. Borrowed from _them. _

Another thought occurred to me as I ran for my life in that dismally dark forest; that perhaps it wasn't _them _who were the dead walking-

- but rather _we _were the _W__alking Dead. _And it was only a matter of _time _before we were truly _dead. _

* * *

Daryl woke me up with a gentle nudge of his boot and he began to gather up our limited things into the single bag. I grumbled briefly, not having slept comfortably on the hard floor (_shocking), _but got up nethertheless.

We scoped the immediate area before Daryl climbed back to ground level. He scanned the tree line before gesturing me to come down.

We carried on with our journey with haste, Daryl leading and me following. I wasn't sure whether Daryl knew _exactly _where he was going, but I trusted the hunter's judgement and said nothing as we carried on through the forest.

My mind buzzed with thoughts and memories from the day previous to this. I remembered all that happened, all that we had _lost, _and I mourned silently again for our fallen friends. Despite seeing so much death during my time in this new world, I still couldn't cope each time someone I cared about was lost. _Numb _was a good word to describe how I was feeling at the moment, but I didn't doubt that the moment I saw Sophia's little face I would break down again.

More hours followed, before Daryl stopped suddenly and I almost walked into him before I realised, my mind elsewhere at the moment. I thought that we had perhaps reached the highway at first, but Daryl turned around and pointed to thick bush nearby.

"Hide there for a moment." He breathed, quietly. "I see something ahead, but I wanna check it out first." I nodded and obliged to his commands.

I waited with baited breath, hoping that perhaps it was the highway that we had found. When I looked around though, nothing looked familiar. And after spending a long time in the forest around the highway with Sophia, it seemed evident that I would recognise some of the landscape if we had truly found the highway. _This was a down-putting thought._ Toby waited beside me, his ears perked and his stance reared ready to bound after the hunter. The forest was deadly silent for a moment before there was rustling and Daryl appeared back again. An odd look on his face.

"Come see." He said, holding back the leaves to help me out the bush. I frowned at his cryptic expression but followed him.

"What is it?" I asked, curious but afraid at the same time. He glanced over his shoulder and pointed at something he could see. I stepped around him to have a better look at what he pointing at and was startled at what I saw.

A prison_. An actual prison. _I stared in awe at it, not truly believing it was there but after blinking a few times I realised it was. High fenced gates separated its grounds from the outside world though from our position, I could make our wondering figures in the grounds - _walkers no doubt. _There were four guard towers, all raised high and probably had an excellent view of the world around. The main prison building was powerful looking, centred within the middle courtyard and seemed to hold the majority of the stumbling figures.

Thoughts then hit me. _This was stable, safe. _The high fences looked impenetrable and I realised then how perfect this place would be to hold up in. I turned to Daryl with a grin. Apparently Daryl was thinking the same thing and was smirking at the sight before us.

"It's perfect." He stated, turning to me. I nodded and we went back to staring at the prison. _It was just what we needed. _"Just think, we clear out the walkers inside 'nd it would sure make a secure hold up for us."

"It'll have beds, food and medicine." I breathed, still not quite believing what I was seeing.

"'nd weapons." Daryl added. He pointed at a tower. "Those guard towers will work pretty handy too, higher position to scout. 'nd those fences," He nodded at the two rows of fences surrounding the perimeter of the prison. "Keep the walkers out for sure."

"It's perfect." Repeating Daryl's earlier phrase. Though a frown fell on my face instantly. "They'll be a lot of prisoners kept in that prison though, judging by the size. If we're assuming they've all turned, then that's _a lot _of walkers to deal with." I turned to Daryl with a raised eyebrow. He merely shrugged.

"Don't have to take it all at once." He muttered, before pointing to something else. "See those main set of gates? If we shut them, then we can deal with all these geeks in the grounds. That'll be easier enough when we find the rest of 'em. You 'nd me could take out all the walkers between the fences right now if we wanted." There was a long pause. "Infact-"

"No." I cut in, shaking my head. "Let's find the others first before-"

"We clear out between the fences then we can go find 'em." Daryl stated, firmly. "It'll be safer, then we got a place to park the vehicles 'nd plan to clear out the main grounds without havin' some geek sneak up on us from the outside. We'll be protected from both sides." I saw his logic, but didn't like his idea. I knew he would be stubborn though.

"We better check the fence for gaps then because look," I pointed to a walker within the grounds of the prison who stood out quite distinctively. This was because they weren't wearing a prison jumpsuit or a guard uniform, instead they were wearing civilian clothes. "It must have gotten in somehow and we'll be at risk of more if we don't patch up any holes."

"Hold up," Daryl muttered, taking off the rucksack and rummaging through it. I frowned, waiting to see what he was looking for. Finally, he pulled out a handful of rope. "Can use tent strings to tie up the holes. It'll be only temporary, cos I think they'll be somethin' in Dale's RV that'll be more substantial." I winced at Dale's name but passed over it without a remark toward the man.

"You have a tent in there too?" I asked with a frown. Daryl nodded. "Why didn't we put it up last night?" I demanded, realising I may not have had to sleep on the cold, hard ground. Daryl smirked.

"Ya didn't enjoy campin' under the stars?" He sniggered. I sent him a glare before turning back to the prison then glancing at the rifle in my hands. I checked how many rounds I had left.

"I have a knife and just under fifteen rounds." I told him. Daryl hoisted the bag back onto his shoulders and held up his crossbow.

"Got just under a dozen bolts, a knife and this," He pulled out a handgun from his pocket and checks how many bullets he had left in it. "Got 'bout half left of this magazine and another full one in my pocket." He pocketed it again glanced down at Toby who stood between us. "Plus we got the mutt. I'll finally get to see how he fights." Daryl met my gaze. "Should be more than enough." He shrugged carelessly and I sighed. _His optimism was very much like his brother__'__s. _"C'mon." Without even waiting for a reply, he sauntered off towards the prison.

I watched the man go for a moment, stunned at his readiness but then stared at the prison. _It was perfect. _It would be a lot safer than the farm and was a lot more fortifiable. _When_ we found the others, we would be able to give them some good news after all the events of the day before this.

Gripping my rifle tightly, I followed after Daryl.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Did everyone see the last episode of Walking Dead?! It was a killer! I shed a tear, despite myself! It has definitely been my favourite episode so far and I actually congratulate the writers for making me like Lori in those brief moments before she died. Her last talk with Carl was beautiful and so sad, it set me off sobbing! And Rick's reaction at the end? Heart-breaking! I felt really sad for T-Dog though! I know a lot just thought of him as a waste of space but I really think he provided a lot for the group, if only the muscle power! At least he went heroically. Very good episode, don't you all agree?_

_Back to the story; yes, Ruby and Daryl have found the prison! It took them surprisingly less time than I expected, but I didn't really want to drag it out for too long. And did all those comic book fans notice the little add in from the comics? The whole ''We are the Walking Dead'' was a line from the comics, Rick says it to the group at one point during their time at the prison. Hopefully you liked that little add it :) Now that the prison has come into play, I wonder how much you guys will want me to stick to the show? Of course, I won't be following it exactly but some ideas may be added. Like the prisoners perhaps? _

_Thank you so much for all your reviews, they really mean a lot! And obviously we have yet to meet up with the rest of the group, so I'm trying to decide whether to kill any more of them off or not before Daryl and Ruby find them (if they do of course). I have some ideas, but I'd love to hear any from you guys! After last week's episode, I'm sure you all agree - NO ONE IS SAFE ;) Thanks again and I'll have an update up soon. _


	22. Chapter Twenty One

_Chapter Twenty One_

The perimeter between the two fences thankfully didn't look too overrun by walkers, enough for Daryl and I to handle for sure. Though the concern was exactly _how _they got in between the two fences and there was a likelihood of a gap somewhere that would prove to be an issue.

The entrance to the prison lead into a small fenced off courtyard type compound which looked big enough to park the necessary vehicles we would be expecting inside, secure away from walkers from all directions. The grassy grounds through another gate to this courtyard was truly overrun by the dead inmates and was definitely something Daryl and I could not tackle on our own.

Our focus now was clearing out this small courtyard as well as clearing and securing as much as the perimeter as we could.

"Thankfully the perimeter looks to be sectioned off as it goes 'round." Daryl muttered, pointing towards one of the guard towers. "Easier for us to tackle parts of it 'nd patch up as much as we can." We were currently crouched down in an overgrown area with full view of the prison so we could make plans without having to worry too much about passing walkers.

"So we're heading to the main gates first?" I asked, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. Daryl nodded.

"We secure the main gates 'nd the gates into the prison grounds 'nd we should be fine." He muttered, before pointing to the guard tower that was nearest to the entrance. "We'll head to that tower first, clear between the fences 'nd patch up the holes. We can then use the tower to have a look see how badly the rest of the prison's fences fair. If it looks unmanageable then we'll settle for what we can manage 'nd go get the others. If not, then we'll do it all as quickly as we can."

"You make it sound so simple." I sighed. Daryl quirked a small smile before rising to his feet.

"Let's get started then." Daryl told me, urging me to follow him as he made his way towards the entrance of the prison. "First part's easy." He threw over his shoulder at me. I sighed once more before trotting after him, Toby at my heels.

The first part was easy Daryl had said - just approaching the prison. The closer we got, the more magnificent the place looked. Never in my life would I have imagined that I would describe a prison as _magnificent _but it seemed appropriate for the moment.

Daryl dispatched the walkers lingering by the fences that noticed our approach quickly and silently, retrieving his arrows by yanking them without effort from the rotten skulls of his victims. Daryl had told me before that bullets would have to be a last resort as attracting attention to ourselves wasn't something we desired right now, so my rifle was slung onto my back and my knife was my chosen weapon for the moment.

"Son of a-" Daryl muttered, once he reached the entrance. I noticed the main gates were locked by a heavy looking iron padlock. _Not what we needed. _I glanced at the hunter before turning around to watch out for approaching walkers whilst Daryl studied the gate.

"Can you by chance pick a lock?" I asked, half-heartedly. Daryl snorted in reply.

"Let me find my hairpin." He replied sarcastically.

"Fine. What do we do now then? Climb the fence?"

"We'll need to have this gate open at some point for the RV 'nd stuff to get in." Daryl told me. "Can I borrow your rifle?" I frowned and Daryl didn't even wait for a reply before he fumbled with the rifle hanging over my shoulder and yanking it over my head forcefully.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused as he threw his crossbow over the fence, where it landed in the safe compound we were trying to get into, and cocked the rifle. Glancing around, I couldn't help but noticed the staggering walkers who were beginning to spot us.

"Takin' a leaf from Shane's book." Daryl muttered before raising the rifle to the padlock. I knew what he was going to do but couldn't say anything before the echoing gun shot was fired.

_Alerting every walker nearby of our presence. _

"Daryl!" I hissed. The man ignored me completely and instead took another shot at the padlock. Fear built up within me as the walkers got even closer, their eyes hungry and their pace agitated. "Daryl, that's not helping us here!" Another gunshot.

"Got it." Daryl muttered, flinging aside the padlock and heaving the gate open with all his strength.

I stabbed the closest walker in the head before it had chance to grab at me, my blade sinking straight through it's skull and into it's brain. Strong arms grabbed me and pulled me backwards into the prison compound. I was flung aside as Daryl quickly slammed the gates shut, just as the walkers reached us, pounding in protest from the separation from the their prospect of food.

"Get the rope." Daryl cried, keeping the gate closed whilst trying to keep away from the biting and clawing of the walkers.

Without a moment's hesitation, I rummaged through Daryl's bag and found his request. I wasted no time in rushing to Daryl's side and securing the gate as best I could. Whilst I did this, Daryl had produced his hunting knife and was dispatching as many walkers as he could. Once the final walker fell, I had managed to secure the gate effectively, but I was panting from sudden exhaustion and Daryl was no better.

"First part's easy, huh?" I asked the hunter, who was slouching on the ground, with a raised eyebrow. Daryl smirked and merely shrugged. "Not sure that's gonna hold off a load of them." I muttered, pointing to me hastily secured fence.

"Doesn't need to be. Only needs to last a little while. I told you before, the RV will have summit more secure." I nodded at Daryl's pseudo-reassuring tone before turning towards the prison. Our entrance had stirred up a lot of commotion from the inmates within the grassy compound of the prison, some were staggering over, some were rattling at the fence in an attempt to get to us. Thankfully there was a heavy padlock on that gate too, though we wouldn't be needing to open that any time soon.

"Should we try get rid of some of them?" I asked, nodding to them. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at them and shook his head.

"Got work to do." He muttered, instead strolling over towards the gate that lead into the space between the two perimeter fences. He didn't even pause before yanking the door open and raising his crossbow. I picking up the rifle and bag Daryl had discarded and rushed after him, shutting the door behind me.

We worked together silently, both fitting into jobs. Daryl's was to kill the walkers, whilst mine was to patch up the holes in the fence the best I could. No word was spoke between us as we carried out these jobs with haste and I realised then that Daryl was right - this could be manageable between us. Even Toby was making good use of himself and was aiding Daryl in the dispatching, making himself proud in the hunter's eyes.

Once the first section was clear and we reached the guard tower, we paused and Daryl turned to acknowledge me for the first time since we secured the main entrance.

"I'll go up first, make sure it's safe." I nodded and waited as the hunter cleared the guard tower. "Clear." He cried after a moment and Toby and I joined him.

We found Daryl at the top of the tower, peering over the edge and gazing across the grounds of the prison. He was panting from the previous rush and glanced briefly at me as I joined his side before looking out again. The view from the guard's tower was completely different than the view from the ground. We could see so much more of the prison than before, the perimeter and buildings were all in full view and I sighed at the sight of all the walkers within.

"Same again, I guess?" I asked, nodding to the next guard tower. Daryl nodded.

"We'll get it done within the hour." He told me.

"And then we can bring the family home?" I muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl smile.

* * *

_Knocking. _

The most vivid and clearest sound I head heard all day. Currently, I was lodging in a rundown café that had long seen any sort of service. Toby and I were holding up behind the counter in front of house, having cleaned out the kitchens and the cellar. I was thankful to have found more food supplies down there and had cleaned as much as I could carry out, packing them into my bag.

Being sat down, I was out of view from the main windows which aided me in keeping out of sight from the dead. Though the sound confused me and I stopped all movement for a moment to listen.

_Knocking. _Again. It sounded like someone was knocking on the glass. The thought was frightening.

Though curiosity got the better of me and I slowly lifted myself up to take a peek over the top of the counter. Before promptly falling out of sight upon what, _or rather who, _I saw.

Laurent. _Oh God, they__'__d found me. _

Quickly, I mapped in my head the possibly ways out of the small café and tried to work out a way that would leave me hidden from the man's view. My breathing began harsh as my heart pounded and fear welled up within me. It was the sound of his voice that cut into my thoughts.

"Ruby?" His voice was muffled through the glass, but I could hear him clearly even so. "Ruby, I know you're in there." _Fuck. _"Can you let me in? It's looking pretty nasty out here." I held a hand over my mouth to muffle any sounds I made. Pretty stupid really, but I couldn't deny that I was terrified. "I ain't gonna hurt you." I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block him out. "_Please, _it's just me. I promise I won't hurt you, I just want to talk." _Talk?! _

"Leave me the fuck alone!" I couldn't help it and regretted it immediately when I screamed the words at him. There was a pause before Laurent spoke again.

"Ruby, come _on. _I just want to talk to you, nothing else I swear!" There was something in me that trusted him and I felt the feeling get bigger. _Don__'__t let him in, _I begged myself.

"Fuck you. As soon as I let you in, you won't hesitate in letting your _buddies _come and do what they want to me-"

"It's just _me.__"_ Laurent urged, cutting me off. I paused for a moment. "Take a look and see."

I hated myself as I slowly got to my feet and face the man. Sure enough, Laurent stood alone. His eyes were imploring into mine, begging me to open the door. Beside me, Toby stood snarling - _probably_ _not a good sign. _I eyed the man suspiciously, not making a move towards him. Over his shoulder though, I spotted something move. At first I thought it was one of his men before I realised that their movements were stumbling and their leg was twisted in an unforgiving angle.

"Behind you." I quickly warned the man that was once may protector. He glanced over his shoulder before turning back to me frantically.

"Let me in, _please._" He begged, before turning around and taking out the dead man trying to attack him from behind. I swallowed hard at the scene, realising that I truly didn't want this man to die. Even after everything that had happened, this man had done a lot for me. _I owed him. _

I growled with frustration before rushing forward and unbolting the door to the café. Laurent wasn't paying much attention to me, too busy defending himself the best he could. As soon as I flung open the door, I hissed at the man and he threw himself inside towards safety and together we bolted up the door again. Once inside, the pair of us were silent. I swallowed hard before rounding on the man.

"What do you want?" I hissed, shoving my way past him and walking towards the counter again where I had left my weapons. I felt much more comfortable once I was in distance of my weapons and turned back to my visitor. Laurent hadn't moved an inch and merely gazed at me. Over his shoulder, a few of the dead were banging on the windows. I swallowed hard, realising I would have to move soon before returning my gaze to Laurent.

"I just want to talk."

* * *

"We make a good team." Daryl muttered once we made it back to the main entrance.

The pair of us were covered in blood - not our own thankfully - and were exhausted from our previous actions. Though we had done the best we could - secured the perimeter and patched up the holes - there was still an overwhelming number of walkers within the prison, though we were safe enough in our little compound for now. During our little lap of the prison, most of the walkers had lost track of our whereabouts and at the moment, none of them were smart enough to realise we had returned back to where we started again. And were instead, wandering aimlessly within the grounds. _A good thing for sure._

I smiled in return to Daryl's statement and glanced around at our location, recovering my breathing.

"So this is our new home." I muttered. "What happens now?" I turned to the hunter, folding my arms and awaiting orders. Daryl had his back to me, staring out towards the main gates, his shoulders strangely tense. I frowned at his posture. "Daryl?"

"I'm gonna go find the others." He muttered, so quietly I barely caught what he said.

"You mean _we?__"_I asked, thinking I must have just heard him by mistake. Daryl turned to me, an apologetic expression on his face.

"Nah, just me." He held my gaze even when I stared back with confusion.

"And what am I supposed to do?" I asked, slowly. Daryl glanced around and I realised before he answered. "You want me to stay here?! You're going to leave me?" _Again. _My stomach plummeted. I couldn't be left alone again, not after all that had happened to us over the past couple of days.

"I'll be back." Daryl said, softly. "I'll be quicker on my own. I'll be able to navigate easier 'nd won't have to worry 'bout keepin' you safe."

"You don't have to worry about me!" I cried, desperately. "I'll look after myself and I'll do whatever you want. I promise, please just don't leave me." Daryl's eyes softened and he shook he head once before turning away and walking towards the main gates.

Taking out his knife, he stabbed the couple of walkers who were rattling at the fence. Once they were dead he dropped his crossbow on the floor and glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Gonna climb it, so I don't waste the rope." He explained. Without letting me speak he had already heaved himself up and was climbing over the top of the gates. I watched wordlessly as he flung his legs over and dropped, almost gracefully, to the ground. He then turned back to me. "Throw my crossbow over."

"Daryl please-"

"No." Daryl shook his head. I walked over to the gate to stand in front of him. In desperation I gripped hold of the fence and pleaded silently with Daryl. He shook his head once more. "You'll be safe in there. We cleared out the perimeter so you'll be fine if you stay in there. Keep to this compound 'nd the first guard tower. _Don__'__t _leave the prison. _Don__'__t _follow me."

"Please, I can't stay here by myself. I won't be left alone again." Before I could stop myself, the tears were flowing. A bit pathetic really but desperation was building within me. _I didn__'__t want Daryl to leave me. _

Daryl's hands were placed over mine between the fence and he squeezed them tightly. Locking eyes with the hunter I saw nothing but sincerity in them.

"I _will _come back. Even if the others ain't there, I'll come back for _you._" He promised. "You've got the bag so you've got enough food to last you, though I should make it back before night fall. I will _not _leave you, Ruby. I can promise that." I bit back a sob and Daryl removed one of his hands from mine to rummage through his pockets. He pulled out a gun magazine and he handed it to me through the fence. "The gun is in the bag, that's incase ya need it. Remember though, bullets are a last resort." I nodded. "Now throw my crossbow over." Reluctantly, I pried my hands away from Daryl and the fence and stumbled over to the discarded weapon. It was surprisingly heavier than I expected though managed to throw it over the high fence to it's rightful owner.

"Promise you'll be careful." I breathed, stumbling back to the fence. Despite only being a metre away from the hunter, the separation of the fence made him seem so far away. Once he had picked up his crossbow, Daryl turned back to me and gripped the fence once more. I grabbed his hand without a second thought, relishing the human contact.

"You too." He nodded. With one final squeeze, Daryl gently pulled his hand away from mine and backed away from me. "Have the gate open 'nd clear for us if you can." I nodded, watching as he continued to back away from me. "Don't do anythin' stupid, Ruby." And with that, the hunter disappeared into the trees and I continued staring after him.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Toby." I muttered, glancing down at the dog, who tilted his head in acknowledgement. "_Again.__"_

* * *

I kept one eye on the café windows and the other on my guest. We were sat at one of the tables in complete silence. It was awkward to say the least. Laurent's eyes gazed around the café, whilst I tried to focus my thoughts. _How could I have been so stupid to let him in? _

"So?" I breathed after the silence had dragged out long enough. Laurent raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to talk about?" There was a pause before the man leant forward, resting his elbows on the table between us.

"How have you been doing?" He asked, softly. I snorted at his question.

"Fabulous." I sneered. Laurent was unaffected by my tone. "Get to the point, Laurent."

"A lot of people died that night." _He sure didn__'__t beat around the bush! _"Am I to understand that you had a hand in what happened?" I shrugged and folded my arms across my chest. "Jessica says you were the one who started it."

"Yes, well my sister is nothing but the Gov's whore." I hissed, narrowing my eyes at the man before me. "How did you find me?" At the question, Laurent leant back in his chair. Behind him the dead were getting agitated but the glass looked stable.

"Governor's been sending out supply runs more frequently now, I've been spending more time out here than in camp-"

"Work getting too hard for you?" I muttered, sarcastically. For the first time during the conversation, Laurent glared at me. Despite this, he ignored my comment.

"Found the van you stole abandoned." He continued. "Unlucky for you, I was siphoning cars earlier that day and I remembered there distinctively being a red truck. Remembered it cos it reminded me of mine. It was the only car I didn't siphon." _How convenient for us. _Laurent raised an eyebrow. "It was the only car that wasn't there. Doesn't take a genius to work out you had taken the truck."

"Regular Sherlock Holmes." I mumbled. Again, Laurent ignored me.

"We've been moving around a lot, trying to find a suitable place for our numbers. I've been looking out for you since that night though I hadn't really found much apart from houses that looked like someone could have held up in them, but lets be honest it could have been anyone, not you. But then," He chuckled a little. "I was out on one of my runs and I heard a noise. A noise that sounded distinctively like a car alarm going off." He paused to judge my reaction. I remained emotionless. "I followed the noise, though it stopped all of a sudden. Kinda strange. But I found a truck, completely totalled around a tree, the truck _you _had taken. Figured you'd be holding up somewhere near if you had been in an accident like that so I waited around. Saw you leaving for the outskirts the next day and have been keeping track of you ever since."

There was a long silence after Laurent had finished and I tried to not let my emotions show. I was horrified with the idea of being followed. How stupid could I have been? I should have been more careful and look where it had landed me! _Idiot. _

"Do you want a round of applause?" I muttered, monotone. Laurent snorted and shook his head.

"You're lucky that it's just me." At this, I raised an eyebrow.

"Just _you?__"_ I challenged, glancing over his shoulder again.

"No one else knows you're here but me." He told me sincerely. "No matter what happens now, whatever happens between us, I promise you that I won't give you up." His words made me stop and I gazed at the man before me, trying to pry out the lie, though I could find no such thing.

"Why?" I breathed, quietly, barely finding my voice. He sighed and shrugged.

"Something in me wants to protect you, you and your sister. It's just you're making me work harder." He smirked before sighing. "I don't pride myself in being such an excellent tracker, so watch your back. It may not just be me out there. You know just as well as I do who you can come across out here." With that he rose to his feet and I frowned.

"That's all you wanted to say?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Just letting you know that I'm here and see how you're doing." He told me. I narrowed my eyes at his tone. Without so much as a word, Laurent turned around and headed towards the café doors, weapons out. "I'll help you get rid of these ones, but I think it's best you move on from here. I think you've overstayed your welcome." He gestured to the hungry dead outside.

Heeding to his warning, I gathered up my things and joined him at the door. He barely let me reach him before he had opened the door and was stepping out the café. The dead jumped on him immediately, but he was too skilled for their strength. He had already taken out three of them before I had the chance to sink my knife into one of their skulls. Once the last one fell, I glanced around the street, realising that Laurent was right. _I had overstayed my welcome. _

Glancing back at the man who had saved my life all that time back, I saw he was already marching down the street in the opposite direction, barely a care of the dead around him.

"Is this going to be a regular thing?" I called, not able to just let him leave without saying something. Laurent's figure stopped and he spun on his heel. Even from the distance apart from each other I saw the smirk on the old man's face.

"Watch yourself, Kid." And with that Laurent was _gone. _

Though I had a feeling that wasn't the last I would see of him.

* * *

Daryl had been gone a while.

I had barely moved since he left me, having decided to take up sitting cross-legged in the middle of the entrance compound, eyes transfixed on the road Daryl had headed down. Just waiting for the convoy of vehicles to come.

_I will come back. Even if the others ain__'__t there, I__'__ll come back for you._ He had promised. _I will not leave you, Ruby. I can promise that._

And surprisingly I trusted his words. There wasn't a part of me that doubted the hunter and that was probably the reason I wasn't a miserable wreck right now. _I was alone again _and yet I knew it wouldn't be for long. Because Daryl wouldn't leave me. _Oh no. _He had _promised _and I _trusted_ him.

In the lonely waiting, I thought about the Dixon brothers. Truly thought about them. Together with all their differences and yet they were so similar. Thinking of Merle ached - even if the man was an ass, he was a friend. A part of me knew that neither Merle nor Michonne would have left me that fateful day so my head burned with possibilities to what could have come about my two friends. I would convince myself everyday that they would be fine. They _had _to be. If I could make it on my own, then they could make it _together. _

I did not doubt that I would see my two friends again one day and I smiled at the thought of Daryl being reunited with his brother once more.

_Daryl Dixon. _My thoughts now whirled around one man; my companion and saviour on numerous occasions. My initial meeting with the hunter weren't the best and I had been threatened with an arrow in the face twice now, both times quite unpleasant. And yet I thought back to all those times I would spend sat with the hunter and Toby, just making simple small talk that didn't really mean anything. Despite his perhaps awkward exterior, I felt comfortable with the man and I trusted him with all I had. _Trusted him with my life. _It was Daryl Dixon who had found me amongst the chaos, when I thought everyone had gone and left me, _he came through. _Such a selfless, caring man and yet I could guarantee that barely anyone in camp knew it. Daryl Dixon was something else, that was for sure.

Walker activity around the prison had died down since Daryl and my intrusion. This put me at ease a bit more and I decided I would stretch my legs a little and walk to the guard tower to have a better view of what was to be our new home.

Toby followed me obediently and though I knew Daryl and I had cleared out the perimeter, I still held my knife and Daryl's gun at the ready, just incase. I reached the tower safely though and retraced my steps from before, up to the top of the tower and leant over the balcony. Toby stood up on his back paws, his front ones resting on the balcony beside me, to allow himself the chance to look around too. I chuckled a little at the sight and patted the dog's head.

"Just imagine when we clear out this place, Toby. You'll have all those grounds to run around in without having to worry about anything trying to eat you. Just think, you could be a normal dog again." Toby grumbled with satisfaction, or I thought it was, and we remained in silence again some more.

The sky was getting slightly dim and I realised that night was going to come soon. The thought made my throat tighten but I remembered Daryl's promise and I remained faithful towards the hunter. Toby, however, seemed to disagree and a wining noise came from the dog beside me.

"He'll come back for us, Toby." I urged the dog to have faith in his favourite hunter. How could he spend every waking moment with Daryl and yet have little trust in him? "He promised he would, didn't he?" I realised after a while that it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself rather than Toby and I chuckled to myself. _Still talking to Toby like he can understand you, huh? _"Daryl _will_ come back." I breathed one last time, resting my head on my hands and sighing. "It's just a matter of time."

The sky was turning red when Toby's ears suddenly picked up something I hadn't. I glanced at the dog before turning back down to the ground. _A rumbling noise? _An earthquake perhaps? I frowned at myself - _really? _

Toby let out a bark and was suddenly rushing away and down the tower stairs, startling me. I glanced back at the dog before turning back to the ground - to see approaching lights.

_They were here!_

I was sprinting down the stairs in a second and rushing back to the entrance. I had to get the gates open ready for them. A gathering of walkers had congregated at the entrance and I hissed with distaste. Taking out my knife, I killed as many as I could before their attention was diverted towards the approaching convoy and I turned my attention on opening the gates.

As I had tied the rope quite inefficiently I realised that there was no really smart way to undo them quickly so with a sigh, after thinking about all my efforts, I began to cut at the rope with my knife. Glancing up, I noticed a motorcycle lead the convoy, followed by the familiar sight of an RV - seeing the camper made my heart leap. Both from memories of it's owner and the prospect of the survivors within.

After discarding the useless rope, I began to heave at the gate to open it. This took my longer than it had taken Daryl before, as the hunter had far more strength than myself, though I managed it eventually. I opened the gate wide enough for the vehicles to get in then backed up and waited for their arrival.

The motorcycle came first, a familiar figure as it's rider. The sight of the man made my stomach clench suddenly and I couldn't help but smile as the hunter parked up his bike and ran over to my side, ready to help me close the gate. I was grinning from ear to ear when I met his gaze. He returned it with a small smile.

"You alright?" Daryl breathed. I nodded, not finding it in me to speak. "Told you I'd be back."

The RV took up most of the room, though the green Hyundai and red Chevrolet managed to squeeze in beside it. Once they were all in, Daryl and I wasted no time in shutting the gate and I didn't have time to catch a glimpse of any of the drivers or passengers of the cars. I didn't have much time to process anything as the main focus was to secure the gate and make us safe once more.

Wordlessly, Daryl produced a tough looking chain than the previous one we had used and began to tie the fence up tightly with it. I met the hunter's gaze with a raised eyebrow and he jolted his head in the direction of the RV. I nodded with understanding and said nothing as Daryl then brought out a metal padlock and clasped the closed, locking us away from the outside world.

"Do you have the key to this one or are we going to rely on Shane's methods of unlocking things?" I muttered, finding my voice. Daryl smirked and showed me a key that he had been keeping in his pocket. "You found your bike, I see."

"T-Dog brought it for me." He told me. "Silly bastard almost crashed it apparently. Would have put an arrow in his ass if he did." I smirked.

"Did you thank him?" I asked. Daryl snorted.

"You my mother now?" He muttered. When I raised an eyebrow he grunted and nodded. Satisfied, I smiled and without letting the hunter think, flung my arms around him.

"Thank you for coming back." I told him quietly and he replied with a muttering of 'told ya I would'. Without thinking, I added; "I'm glad you're safe." before pulling away and rushing to greet the others, not letting the hunter even process what had happened.

_Heck, I didn__'__t even know where it had come from. _

I felt a healthy rush of heat creep up onto my face and I knew a blush had made it's way onto my cheeks. _Figures. _I didn't have time to think about what this meant before I was suddenly engulfed in a hug from a certain blonde friend.

"Oh God," Andrea breathed, squeezing me tight. I returned her hug though perhaps with less enthusiasm. I may have done if I wasn't so exhausted. "I'm so glad you're alright, I thought we had lost you at the farm." I pulled away and smiled at my friend.

"I'm glad you're alright too." I told her, sincerely.

I was greeted like this equally with the rest of them and I relished the group before me; the _survivors. _The Grimes were all still in tact, I noted, and I was surprised when Lori wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Shane hung back beside his best friend, and whilst Rick gave me a hug of his own, Shane merely nodded in acknowledgement and even gave me a small smile. _It was something at least. _T-Dog's bear like arms practically lifted me off the ground and the sound of his laughter tickled my ears. In comparison, Glenn's arms were much more scrawny and yet the Asian boy still managed to hold me tightly. It was a heart-breaking sight when I turned to the Greene family, only Herschel and Maggie remaining. I swallowed hard and tried to smile at the pair of them before holding the remaining Greene daughter tightly as I watched her trying to hold back a sob. Herschel's expression was blank though he managed a nod when I turned to him. He looked to be a broken man and I realised that Daryl had probably told them about what had happened to the rest of their family.

_Selfish as it was, I was glad I wasn__'__t the barer of that news. _

"Well," Rick began, running a hand through his hair and sighing. "The last few days have been quite eventful haven't they." He glanced back at the prison before turning to Herschel. "How come you never mentioned the prison before? I'm sure it wasn't on the map?" He asked the man, softly.

"We're quite a way from the farm, Daryl and Ruby must have been hiking for hours on end before coming across this place. I don't usually engulf myself in this variety of knowledge and whilst I knew there was a prison nearby, I didn't know exactly where it was." Herschel explained slowly before turning to me. "I'd like to know what has become of my daughter?"

I froze up at the question, not expecting it and taken back at the intensity in the man's gaze. _How on earth could I tell this man what had happened to Beth? _

"She went down." Daryl's voice piped in suddenly. I didn't realise the man was standing next to me until now. "Jimmy and Patricia too." He glanced at me before turning back to Herschel. "Saw it before we got away. There was nothin' we could have done." A pause. "I'm sorry." Herschel nodded before turning away and taking a few paces away from the group. Maggie swallowed down the tears, staring into the ground. Beside her, Glenn reached over and took her hand in his. For support.

"What about the others?" Shane asked, his tone surprisingly soft compared to his usual swag. "Dale? Carol?"

"Them too." I breathed before Daryl could say anything. _I couldn__'__t let him take the entire burden. _I raised my gaze to Andrea's, who nodded once and smiled slightly.

"Dale got shot in the neck, died from it." She explained bluntly before sniffing and wiping a stray tear from her eye. She then turned back to me with a confused yet solemn gaze. "Carol?"

"She was bit by-" I paused, realising what I was about to say and froze at the thought of it. _Bit by Dale? _The mystery of Dale's turning was certainly something that needed to be questioned and yet I wondered if now was the best time to be questioning it. So soon after the deaths of the fallen. I didn't have to make the decision, however, as Daryl made it for me.

"Carol got bit by a walker." He told them all. "We killed it though it had already bit her." He paused and glanced down at his crossbow. He raised it slightly to emphasis what he was getting at. "We made sure she didn't turn." Rick nodded at this before turning to his wife, who had taken the news with surprise and I could tell she was trying to hold back the tears.

"Sophia-" Lori began before cutting herself off with a choking sob.

My heart stopped at the name and I realised then that I had yet to see the little girl. Or Carl for that matter. _Oh God, please don__'__t let anything have happened to them. _

"Where is she?" I asked, eyes frantic. Eyes wandered over to the RV and I took the hint. "Does she know?" When no one answered, I turned to Daryl. The man smiled sadly.

"Told her when I found them all. Don't think she believed me though." He explained softly. I nodded and realised then that the burden now fell on me.

"I'll talk to her." With that, I marched over to the RV and opened the door.

Inside I found the two children sat at the back of the camper, lying on the beds and staring up at the ceiling. They were chatting quietly together and I hated to break the serene atmosphere between them. Coughing lightly, I got their attention. Almost instantly I was tackled by a double hug and I couldn't help but laugh at their enthusiasm.

"Are you both alright?" I asked, prying their arms from around my middle and crouching down in front of them both. They both nodded simultaneously.

"Is it true that you and Daryl killed all the walkers in this prison, all by yourselves?" Carl asked, in awe. I chuckled a little.

"Bit of an exaggeration. We cleared out part of them, enough for us to be safe before we decide what to do next." I explained. My eyes wandered to Sophia before I turned back to Carl with a smile. "Carl, do you mind if I talk to Sophia or a moment?" When the boy looked like he was going to protest, I quickly added. "Toby has been excited to see you again. Can you go keep him company whilst we girls talk?" That caught Carl's attention. He smiled at his friend before leaving the RV, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as the door shut, I suddenly felt tense. Turning back to the girl in front of me, I saw nothing but the innocent little Sophia I first came across in the forest all that time back. Alone, _scared. _How could I tell her that she had lost her mother? I took the girl's hand and lead her back to the bedding area of the RV and sat her down on one of the beds.

"I know what you want to talk about." Sophia spoke before I even opened my mouth. There was a long pause. "She's really gone isn't she?" There was so little emotion in her voice - it was worrying.

"Yes." I breathed. A single sniff from the girl and I knew that she was trying to contain herself.

"Were you with her?" I couldn't find it in me to answer so I merely nodded when Sophia met my gaze. "Did she suffer?" I shook my head quickly.

"Quite the opposite." I tried. I paused to swallow the lump in my throat before continuing. "Before Daryl-" I cut myself off, knowing nothing else needed to be said about what Daryl did. "She wanted me to tell you something." I saw Sophia's hands work frantically at the doll in her hands and I ached to see her suffering. "She wanted me to tell you that she loves you." The first tears fell silently down her innocent face. "You know she does, right?"

"I love her too." She said between tears. "She's gone-" I wrapped my arms around Sophia as she broke out into sobs, her tiny hands clinging to my shirt in desperation. My heart just ached at the sound of her sobs and I cried silently with her. I kissed her head softly.

"We'll remember your momma, Sophia. We'll keep her memories alive. She's not gone as long as we remember her. Remember her for the wonderful, strong, beautiful woman that she was." I told her, gently. "And you will never be alone. I will always be here for you, Sophia. I promise you now that I will take care of you and keep you safe. And _together_ we will remember your wonderful momma." Sophia's sobs shook her tiny body and I held her tightly to keep her from collapsing.

"Thank you, Ruby." She whispered.

_I know you__'__ll look after Sophia for me. _

___You are family now, Ruby._

* * *

___(Author's Note): Me again! ;) Thanks a lot for the support for the previous chapter and hopefully you'll enjoy this one too. I guess things may have rushed to the prison, but I didn't want to drag the story on for too long. I hope you guys will agree. _

___No one else has died (yet), are you happy?! I know I said I would but I didn't find it in me to kill anyone else off just yet. Not right after what happened at the farm. Give it time though and I'll be killing characters off left, right and centre! ;) I just realised though that after making the changes that I did, I've kept Shane alive long enough to make it to the prison, which is something that doesn't happen in either the comics or the series. So, his presence I guess will be very interesting - especially when he's still all loco and what not. I haven't really included Shane a lot in this story yet (not as much as he is included in the show at least), but I guess I'm a bit hesitant to start writing him all crazy/evil and whatever. I don't really want to overdo it just because of my personal hatred for the man. ;)_

___As I am a British fan of this show, I unfortunately along with my fellow Brits are an episode behind all you Americans! Which sucks to say the least as I'm a sucker for looking up promos and spoilers. I think the UK is on episode 6 now (correct me if I'm wrong) which will be airing this friday, whilst you lucky Americans have already seen it on Sunday! Very jealous, I must say ;) All I can say is, that after all the drama from Lori/T-Dog, I cannot wait for the Dixon confrontation! Phew, I can sense it's gonna be good! _

___Thanks again for all your support and if you have any thoughts on this chapter or the story in general please let me know. Even if it's to give critisism (which I don't mind as long as it's justified). I'll have an update up as soon as!_


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

_Chapter Twenty Two_

"So, what's the plan then?" T-Dog asked warily, eyeing up the fence into the grassy compound of the prison. The entire group was gathered between the vehicles, waiting for the plan of action. Our presence has aroused a few of the walkers attention, but nothing too severe or what we couldn't handle.

I was stood beside Sophia, her little hand hooked onto one of my belt loops while her other was in Carl's beside her. An adorable sight it had to be said, though I only just had to take on look on Sophia's tear stained face to wipe those thoughts away.

"We need to close those gates, Rick." Shane pointed out, gesturing to the gates at the opposite end of the grassy compound. "So we're not overwhelmed. We may be able to take down these guys, but there will be more coming from the prison if we ain't careful it will get quite nasty." Shane's words were taken note of and surprisingly helpful for a change. Perhaps the previous days events had softened the bigger man slightly.

"Right, well we need to send someone in to close them." Rick muttered glancing around. "You cleared the guard towers?" Daryl nodded when he looked his way. "We'll have a couple of scouts up in each of these three towers then to provide cover. The rest will help with distraction-"

"Wait, Rick." Lori cut in suddenly. "_Who_ exactly will be the one going in there?" She eyed up her husband carefully and Rick stared back. There was a long moment's silence as our leader thought the question over.

"I'll go?" Glenn cut in suddenly. "I'm the fastest, it would be easier." Maggie's face dropped as he uttered the words.

"No. You can't." She breathed between shaky breaths, her hand clutching his. "It's too dangerous."

"But it makes sense for me to go. I can get over there quicker. Like I said, I'm faster." Glenn told her, his voice quivering slightly.

"But you're better out here, where it's _safe._" Maggie urged, firmly. "You're good at shooting, you would be a better up in one of those towers." Glenn looked like he was about to protest but Rick cut in again.

"Maggie's right. You've got a good aim, I'll need you for scouting." Rick muttered. Glenn pondered the order for a moment before nodding. "T-Dog and Glenn will take scout in that tower," He pointed to one of the closer guard towers before turning to the other one and then glancing around the group. "Daryl and Shane up in that one." I saw Daryl's face tense but the hunter didn't say anything, not voicing his opinion of his chosen scouting partner. His said partner however, did had a few things to say.

"Ain't happening, Rick." Shane grunted. "I know where this is headin', you're gonna send yourself in to shut the gates and I ain't lettin' you take that responsibility. We need you out 'ere. You've got as good a shot as any, best job for you is scoutin'." Rick eyed his friend with a stony expression.

"And who would you suggest we send in then?" Rick demanded. I felt my stomach plummet as Shane's eyes swivelled towards myself and I raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?" I muttered when Shane shrugged.

"Out of us all, you seem to have the best luck in surviving." Shane pointed out. "You've spent a lot of time out in the forest alone, ain't you? I'm sure running through a field will be a doddle compared to what _you _have been through." I narrowed my eyes.

"You sure it ain't just your attempt to 'dispose of the traitor'?" I demanded, glaring. Shane matched my glare with his own and raised his upper lip in a snarl. _Bastard, _I thought.

"Enough." Rick cut in before Shane could retort. "Now, if Ruby doesn't want to do it-"

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it." I sighed, meeting Rick's eyes. I shrugged. "Guess I'll give it a go." Rick pondered for a moment before smiling slightly in gratitude.

"Alright, Ruby will close the gates. Glenn and T-Dog, Daryl and Shane-"

"Rick please-"

"Fine, Daryl and Herschel together, _I _will go with Shane. We'll provide cover from these three guard towers." He turned to the three other woman beside myself. "You'll try and lead as much of the walkers as you can away, distract them by rattling the fences, shout, do whatever you think. Give Ruby a chance to make it through the field but don't let them scratch at you. Kill any if you can, though do it without using bullets - we'll need to save as much as we can."

"What about Sophia and me, Dad?" Carl piped in quickly. I saw Lori tense slightly as Rick thought of his reply.

"You'll help your mother with the distraction." Lori's body relaxed and Rick met his wife's eyes briefly before turning to me.

"I'll need something to tie the fences up with." Rick nodded and made his way into the RV to get something for me. As he did, those scouting made their ways towards their designated towers. Daryl hesitated, however, and made his way over towards me.

"What are ya doin'?" He almost growled, quiet enough for only myself to hear. "Ya tryin' to get yourself killed?" I sighed.

"I want to prove myself to Shane that I ain't some traitor." I explained.

"And proving yourself means ya gotta run through a walker infested field with a very high chance of dyin'?" I shrugged and smiled sadly. Daryl studied me for a moment before softening his features. "Ya don't have to prove yourself to that asshole." Daryl added, shaking his head.

"Well, I want to prove myself to everyone else too." I told him. He shook his head.

"Ya already have when you brought Sophia home safely." He breathed. "No one would think differently of ya if ya backed down now." He muttered quickly when he noticed Rick had found the heavy looking chains I would be using to close the gate.

"I can't." I said, slightly unnerved by the intensity in Daryl's gaze. "I don't want you all to think I'm a coward-"

"_I_ don't." Daryl cut in suddenly. There was a brief as Daryl and I merely stared at each other before he coughed and averted his gaze. "Ruby, please-"

"Ruby, here's what you can use to secure the gate." Rick appeared, handing me the item he had found within the RV. I smiled and nodded, feeling Daryl's gaze on me. "Lets get up those towers, Daryl." I turned back to Daryl and attempted to smile at the hunter. Daryl held my gaze for a brief moment before walking away abruptly without looking back. The action hurt a little and there was a horrible feeling in my stomach as I watched the hunter walk away from me. "You alright?" I turned back to Rick and nodded. "You don't have to-"

"I do." I nodded, firmly, wrapping the chains around my torso so I could move easier and grip my weapons. "Let's get started, shall we?" Rick smiled slightly and gripped my shoulder.

"Good luck." He said before making his way up the tower. I watched him go before making my way forward toward Lori, Andrea, Maggie and the children.

"We better get started on this distraction then." Andrea muttered, smiling sadly. "Good luck, Ruby." I smiled my thanks as Maggie and Carl repeated the bid of luck. Sophia held me tight for a moment, sniffing loudly and asking me to 'be careful'. When I promised her I would, she appeared mildy satisfied and joined Carl, following Maggie and Andrea away to get the attention of the walkers rattling at the fences. Starting the distraction. I turned to Lori.

"I'm closing the gate behind you." She explained with a small smile. I nodded and we walked over to the side gate that would lead me into the compound. "You alright?" She asked softly when she prepared herself to open the gate for me.

"I've felt better." I told her truthfully. Lori smiled sadly and gazed to something beside me. When I followed her gaze, I saw Toby by my side. I chuckled a little, realising that he would be joining me, and patted the dog's head. Gripping my gun, and after having a quick reassurance that my knife was in my pocket, I met Lori's gaze again.

"You ready?" She asked. When I nodded, she turned her gaze to something up above and gave the tower her husband was in a thumbs up. There was a moment's pause. "Good luck." Then the gate was open and I was inside the compound. The gate was shut behind me.

I locked gaze with my target - the gates at the opposite end of the field - and I _ran._

* * *

Sometimes I would have nightmares - _who wouldn__'__t, really? _

The dead would haunt my dreams, much like they did whilst I was awake, though I would also be haunted by the echoing laughter of someone so very familiar to me.

Sometimes I would wake up in the house I was holding up in for the night, and hear something downstairs. However, Toby hadn't appeared to pick up on anything and still remained sound asleep. This would be strange - usually Toby would pick up on the minute of sounds.

I would investigate with a weapon in hand and almost every time find the sickeningly familiar figure waiting for me in a dark room. I would recognise them immediately from their silhouette, not having needed to see their face.

"Miss me, darlin'?" A Southern drawl would ask, also mockingly. And my heart would leap.

However when I turn on the lights, instead of seeing my once firm companion, I would see only the essence of their being - not alive anymore, but now snarling, rotting, eyes hungry.

_A dead version of my friend. _

And this horrific version would always lunge for me, his teeth ripping into my flesh and tearing me apart.

Then I would wake up and I would be alone once more.

* * *

I didn't acknowledge the others as I made my way through the grass compound. What I should have noted before I had agreed to this, was the number of walkers - there were a lot more than I had expected.

Some around me would drop without warning and I put it down to the scouts. Guns shots echoed out as the group were dispatching the walkers and I was fortunate enough not to have needed to use my gun yet.

Toby ran out ahead of me slightly and all of a sudden pounced on an approaching walker, sending it to the ground. Teeth teared into rotting flesh and I felt mildly sickened for a moment at Toby's massacre. I ploughed on though.

My heart raced and I could see that I was making a good pace across the field.

That was until I tripped. _Typical. _

I fell face first into the ground, my face planting the grass. I lifted myself up quickly and turned onto my back. I shrieked a little in horror as a legless walker was infact the reason why I had tripped, having grabbed my ankle, and was crawling closer and snarling viciously. My gun had fallen a few paces behind me and I tried to scramble back to it.

All of a sudden though, there was a rush of air and the walker's existence was ended as an arrow bolt had pierced itself into it's skull. I glanced briefly up at the tower Daryl was in and smiled slightly before scrambling to my feet.

I was met by the sight of an unforgiving amount of walkers, some dropping as they were shot in the head, and yet some were still coming for me and were in the way of my heading. My gun lay discarded on the ground, lost between a group of the dead and I quickly got out my knife and impaled it into a walker close by. It dropped and I moved on.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I took out a few more walkers. When I reached my gun, I was thankful - using my knife was tiring to say the least - and I switched weapons. The gun by far was much more efficient and quick.

When I reached the gates, I shot the walkers that attempted to get through the gates before using my strength to shut the gates quickly. Those of the other side, rattled and snarled at me but I was safe when I had finally closed the gates. With shaky breath, I shrugged off the chain and began to secure the gate. It took my less time that the main gates had done and I breathed a sigh of relief when the padlocked closed securely and the grassy compound was finally secure from the rest of the prison.

All of a sudden though, hands gripped my arms from behind and I smelt the sickening familiar smell of death. Followed by a snarl and the inevitability of what was about to happen. The monster bit down. I _screamed_.

* * *

I came across a man once. _A living man. _

I was settling into an abandoned barn one night when he appeared, shot gun in hand. There was a tense moment as we both aimed our weapons at each other and Toby bared his teeth. I watched as the man narrowed his eyes, studying me over, before grunting and lowering his gun.

"You hungry, miss?" The older man muttered. I nodded, lowering my weapon and followed the man up the ladder onto the high level.

He didn't give me his name, told me he didn't trust people enough to give his name in this new world. I respected his choice and didn't give him my name either. He did however feed me and ask me questions about the outside world.

"I've been holding out in this barn for a while now." He told me. "Got enough supplies to last me a while." He nodded to his stash in the corner of the attic. The man then turned to me with a thoughtful expression. "You got a group?" I shook my head.

"Just me." I told him. He hummed and nodded.

"I reckon it's best that way." He muttered. "If it's just yourself then you only gotta look after yourself. Survive a hell of a lot longer that way."

"Yes, but what's the point in living if all you're doing is surviving?" I challenged. The man paused and met my gaze briefly. He gave me a toothless grin and shrugged.

"You got me there, miss."

The man allowed me to spend the night in the barn, though told me I would have to be on my way in the morning. Again, I respected the man's wishes and told him I would leave first thing. I slept with mild comfort, though with slight wariness of my companion for the night. I kept an eye open as I slept.

When morning came, I thanked the man for his hospitality and he gave me a small bundle of food from his stash for my travels.

"Stay safe, miss."

And with that, Toby and I were on our way again. What could be certain was that spending the night with the nameless man had uplifted my spirits. He was a reminder that I wasn't alone in this cruel world.

Living people were out there. _I just had to find them._

* * *

It took me a mere moment to realise that whilst the walker had bitten down with its jaws, it had _not_ pierced my skin. Hadn't even grazed it. Instead it had latched onto my jacket and I felt my heart lurch - I wasn't done just yet.

In a moment, I quickly shrugged myself out of my jacket and dropped to the floor. I turned on my back and stared up at the culprit that had tried to take a chunk out of me. Its teeth was still latched into my jacket but I was glad that was all it had latched onto. I fumbled for my gun as the walker attempted to go for me again and I took one clean shot at it through the head.

It dropped with a _thud _and I felt myself become overwhelmed with exhaustion. _That was far too close for my liking. _

There was still a few walkers within the compound but I watched as they each dropped to the floor before my eyes, thanks to the scouts up high. I didn't move, merely watched on as the compound was cleared out, not really finding it within myself to get to my feet. I was still recovering from my close call.

When the final bullet rang out and the final walker dropped, there was a moment of silence. It echoed painfully and I sat back on my hands, turning to see Toby bounding over. There was movement from the opposite side of the field and I saw the group gathering in the main compound before making their way inside and towards me.

When I saw the first figure running across the field towards me, I heaved myself to my feet. I recognised the tiny little figure immediately and stumbled forward to meet Sophia and her awaiting arms. She launched herself at me and cried a little into my shirt.

"It's alright." I tried to sooth, stroking her hair. "I'm alright." More figures were running towards me now, though I tensed a little when I saw weapons were trained in my direction.

"Sophia, step away!" Shane's voice barked. He had his shotgun trained at my head and I shied back from the intense darkness of his gaze. In confusion, I looked around the rest of the group, who had stopped quite a distance away. I realised it wasn't just Shane who had a weapon raised at me.

Rick held up his pistol, though his face was soft, upset almost. I frowned and glanced towards where Andrea, T-Dog and Glenn all had their guns trained on me, the former with tears in her eyes. _What was going on? _

"Guys?" I breathed, prying Sophia's arms from around me, noticing how they stiffened at Sophia's contact with me. "Is there are reason why you are pointing your guns at me?"

"Cos we _saw.__"_Shane hissed before anyone else could. I frowned in confusion.

"Saw _what?_" I demanded through gritted teeth. Sophia sniffed loudly.

"You were bit." She said through tears. "You're gonna turn into one of them."

"Sophia, come away, sweetie." Lori urged the girl softly. Sophia shook her head and gripped my hand tighter, so tight it was painful.

"I wasn't bit." I told them, simply. They didn't look convinced.

"Don't play that shit, we saw that walker get you from behind." Shane growled. I glared at the man and pulled my hand from Sophia's before walking over to the walker that had apparently 'bitten' me. I pulled my jacket from it's dead _dead _grip and threw it to the man.

"It just caught my jacket, I managed to get away before it bit me." I muttered. To prove a point, I turned around to show my shirt was still in tact and that there was evidently no bite marks.

When I turned back to face the group, Glenn, T-Dog and Rick were all lowering their weapons. Andrea had already lowered hers and was smiling at me with relief. Shane was a bit more hesitant and examined the jacket before sending me one last glare and lowering his gun.

"Well, that's enough excitement for one day." Glenn muttered, breaking the silence, and looking around. "What we gonna do with all the bodies?" His question had broken the tense air between us all and Rick went into leader mode again, completely forgetting the previous exchange.

"We'll bring in the vehicles and we'll gather up all the bodies in a pile. We gotta burn them but I'd rather we did that _outside _of the prison." He began, glancing around. "We'll pile them in the entrance compound for now."

"It's nearly dark, Rick." Lori reminded her husband. "What will we do afterwards?"

"We'll leave the rest of the prison for tomorrow. Once we've gathered up all the bodies, we'll rest up for the night. I'll need a couple of people to just scout the perimeter of this compound once more whilst the rest of us are moving bodies, just to make sure it's secure."

"You mind if I take that job?" I asked. "I think I've had too much close contact with walkers today." Rick nodded and gazed around the group before meeting gaze with Daryl.

"You help her." He told the hunter, who merely nodded. "Lets get this done quick." With that the group dispersed, some heading to the gates to bring in the vehicles as some prepared to move the scattered bodies. Sophia hugged me one last time before joining Carl and Lori.

Leaving me the job of scouting with Daryl. I gazed at the man as he approached me, his eyes on the walker at my feet - the one that had tried to bite me. Once he was about a metre away, he raised his gaze to mine.

"Thought ya were a goner." He muttered. "Saw the walker attack ya from behind. I tried to kill it but my arrows didn't reach far enough." I smiled slightly.

"I appreciate the gesture." I attempted to lighten the mood with the joking comment, though Daryl's hard expression didn't waver. "Thank you for saving my life anyway." Meaning the legless walker that had tripped me. Daryl's expression still showed no emotion and I tensed back a little at his scrutiny.

"Thought ya weren't trying to get yourself killed?" He stated, monotone. I snorted.

"It wasn't intentional, I assure you." I realised then that I was still shaking from the close encounter. The thoughts that ran through my mind as I felt it's grip on me were enough to make me sick. I couldn't even describe how I had felt when I realised that it hadn't bitten through to my skin. "Were you worried?" I asked before I could stop myself. I tensed as Daryl narrowed his eyes, my cheeks reddening slightly, and there was a few long moments of silence with us merely staring at each other.

All of a sudden, Daryl averted his gaze and had turned to look at the walker that had tried to kill me again. I studied his hard expression, it was almost of pure loathing, and I physically flinched when Daryl raised his crossbow and shot an arrow though the walker's skull at close range without a moment's hesitation or a warning.

"Just to make sure." He muttered, pulling his arrow bolt out of the walkers skull and walking away from me, towards the gate to make sure it was secure no doubt. I stared down at the walker again - pretty certain it was very much dead before Daryl had _made sure _it was - before stumbling away from it and trailing after Daryl to make sure the fence of the compound was safe for the night.

A fire was made and the group gathered around it when all the work was done. All the bodies had been piled in the main compound and Daryl and I had made sure the perimeter was secure. Now all the work was done for the day, everyone was trying to find warmth, _comfort, _just something good after the days we had had before us.

Not a word was spoken between us, though the silence was mutual and full of understanding. No words needed to be spoken as the silence spoke full meaning of our losses.

_We were in mourning. _

Our group had taken a substantial blow from the attack on the farm but we had made it through somehow and found each other in the madness. A glimpse of hope had arisen in the darkness when Daryl and I had stumbled across this prison. Though it would take time, countless ideas had arisen since we had secured ourselves within the compound.

We could start a life here, build ourselves and our humanity again. It would take time, but we could make it work. Because we were _strong. _And everything the group as a whole had been through, it would have to take something immensely strong to break us.

"This reminds me when you'd take us camping in summer." Maggie spoke suddenly in a soft, wistful tone. Eyes turned to the remaining Greene daughter, though her gaze only stared into the fire. There was a communal confusion amongst the group, though judging by the soft expression on Herschel's face, the old farmer had understood his daughter's words.

"We'd sit around a campfire at night and look up at the stars." Herschel nodded. "Then I'd tell you kids ghost stories and you'd spend all night giggling to yourselves." Maggie smiled. "I was never very good at telling ghost stories." Chuckles erupted from the group.

"Naww, you were Dad." Maggie grinned. "I'd have to sneak into Beth's room for weeks after camping to stay up with her until she went to sleep." There was a stony silent as Beth's name was mentioned. Maggie's grin flattered a little and Herschel looked down into the fire again.

"Where did you go camping at?" Carl asked suddenly, before the mood went truly low. Maggie raised her gaze and met the young boy's expectant one.

"Only in one of the fields on the farm." She grinned, glancing at Herschel. "You didn't want to take us too far, did you, Dad?" Herschel chuckled.

"I couldn't leave my farm over night." He pointed out. "Otis would run riot." Maggie rolled her eyes and leant her head against her father's shoulder, curling herself into him with a small smile on her face. It was a nice sight.

"I've only ever been camping once." Carl carried on. "And that was a disaster." Rick looked suddenly sheepish and met his wife's smiling gaze. "Dad set the tent on fire."

"By accident!" Rick defended himself over the laughter.

"Oh, man, I remember when the whole thing went up." Shane chuckled. "I've never seen something catch so quickly alight as your tent did that night."

"How did it catch on fire exactly?" Glenn asked, hesitantly. Rick shook his head and scratched the back of his head, almost in shame. His partner, however, wasn't about to let him slide.

"Rick decided it would be a good idea to put the lighter fluid _next to _the camp fire, with the lid _off_." Shane told the group, grinning from ear to ear. "One minute we're all sat there, happy days, the next Rick knocks the damn tub over and boom! The whole thing explodes in our faces and the tents on fire."

"Lost a whole lotta clothes that camping trip." Lori added, smiling. Carl met Sophia's gaze and the pair grinned at each other. The mood around the camp fire had lifted immensely with the mere activity of telling simple memories to one another.

"Thought cops were supposed to have more common sense." Daryl muttered, raising an eyebrow at Rick.

"He had enough common sense to keep _his _belongings in _my _tent, which did not burn down." Shane added. "Lori's stuff however was another story."

An innocent look was passed between Shane and Lori, a look that was surpassed by most as Carl then went into lengthily details about how Shane and Rick had to put out the tent fire and how at one point, Rick's pants caught fire, subsequently leading onto Rick removing his pants.

Whilst the others listened intently, laughing appropriately, to Carl's tale I observed Lori and Shane from my position opposite them across the campfire. They merely gazed at each other, eyes locked, their expressions fixed solely on each other. It was as if no one else existed in that minute amount of time between them. It was gone in an instant however, as Lori's expression turned sour and she shook her head once before turning away from Shane's gaze and focusing her attention on her son's story. For a brief moment hers and my eyes met and I attempted to smile at the woman, not wanting any bad feelings between us anymore. I was surprised when she returned the smile warmly.

When I turned to Shane, I saw that his expression had turned emotionless and he didn't appear to be listening to Carl's story, and was instead staring intently into the fire. I didn't want to know what thoughts were going through that man's mind right now.

"Wait a minute, ya only ever been campin' once?" Daryl muttered, talking to Carl. The boy shrugged. "Merle 'nd I used to go campin' all the bloody time. Where we lived was a lot of forests. Some days Merle would pitch up home 'nd say we were campin' for a few days 'nd that would be it. Merle taught me how to hunt when we went campin'. Reckon I was only 'bout twelve when he taught me how to use a crossbow."

"_Twelve_?" Sophia and Carl asked in unison. It was as if their minds worked in sync and I knew immediately what the two _twelve _year olds were thinking.

"Don't even think about it." Lori said simply when Carl turned to her. A pout fell on the boy's lips. I was surprised when Sophia turned her gaze to me, an expectant look on her face. I was taken back by the love and intensity behind her eyes but reminded myself that _I _had obviously been named Sophia's unofficial guardian for now.

"Don't look at me like that." I muttered. "I bet you couldn't even hold the crossbow up for more than five seconds anyway." Sophia's brows burrowed in a challenge and she turned to Daryl. The hunter smirked and passed his crossbow over to the little girl. As soon as he dropped his grip from the weapon and Sophia had sole custody of it, her arms buckled under the sudden weight and it landed on the floor with a thud. "Told you so." I was rewarded with a pouted glare.

"You mind if I ask who Merle is?" Maggie asked. There was a moment's pause and I realised that the Greene's obviously didn't know about Merle Dixon. The group probably assumed I didn't either.

"Nah, I don't mind." Daryl shrugged. "He's my brother." He reached back across the group and retrieved his crossbow, tucking it safely next to him.

"You lost him too?" Maggie asked, sincerely. Daryl shook his head and met my gaze briefly.

"There was a mix up in Atlanta." Rick piped up suddenly. "We ended up leaving him behind." Confusion fell across Herschel and Maggie's faces, whilst my gaze turned to the fire, thoughts on my old companion. I willed myself not to think too hard as the memories got quite painful.

"I don't understand." Herschel said, gaze darting between Daryl and Rick.

"My brother was an asshole, Rick handcuffed him to a roof cos he was a threat to the group." He paused, eyes lingering on T-Dog before turning back to the fire. "There was a complication 'nd he got left behind." I glanced at T-Dog across the fire and saw the big man tense slightly.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Maggie breathed, swallowing down hard. Daryl shook his head.

"My brother ain't dead." He told her. "Cut his own hand off to save himself but he ain't dead. He's out there _alive._ We'll find him one day."

"I'll remember to crack out the champagne when that day comes." Shane muttered, meeting Daryl's glare across the fire. "Face it Daryl, there's a very high chance Merle died from blood loss. He cut off his own _hand!_ That ain't the sort of liability you need in a world like this, man. I reckon it's time you face the facts; your brother is dead."

"No he ain't." Daryl hissed, fists clenching.

"He's isn't." I spoke up suddenly, cutting Shane off from whatever snotty retort he was going to fire at Daryl. Eyed turned to me again and I sighed.

"And you would know that, how?" Shane demanded. _It was odd how the mood had changed so rapidly from mellow to confrontational. We had _one _man to thank for that!_

"Because he was one of the two people I escaped with from my previous group." I explained bluntly. "I can assure you he was alive and well and _not_ dying from blood loss. I daresay his handicap has no effect to his capability to survive." I smiled when Daryl met my gaze, in an attempt to tell him I 'had his back'. The hunter didn't return it and I gathered he was still pissed from Shane's outburst. Or my apparent suicidal bid.

"Another secret you've been keeping-"

"It's not a secret _you _needed to know." I cut Shane off again. "The only person who needed to know was Daryl and I told him. End of story."

The mood tensed slightly as silence drew on after my words. I urged for the light mood from before to return, it was so refreshing compared to what we were used to. What we were used to was Shane's bickering and confrontations. I didn't want to end the night like this, not after the days we had been having.

"You know what, I can safely say I've never been camping." T-Dog spoke suddenly and I smiled as the man attempted to keep the conversation going. _Thankful _for it.

"Honestly?" Daryl asked in disbelief.

"Me neither." Glenn admitted, shrugging. "Don't really get the appeal."

"I think it's romantic." Maggie smiled softly, meeting Glenn's gaze. Herschel coughed abruptly and Glenn's face reddened comically, causing the group to chuckle at his expense.

Stories were thrown about the camp fire as each person contributed somehow. It was a nice evening, the nicest in a long time. It wasn't before long though that Rick announced that we should go get some rest for tomorrow's big push into the prison.

Sleeping arrangements were planned out immediately. It was decided that Lori, the children, Maggie and Herschel would take rest in the RV. It was also intently decided that Glenn would _not _take rest in the RV and would take rest quite a distance away in the back of the red Chevrolet with T-Dog. Shane and Rick took rest in the front seats of the RV, squashed quite amusingly uncomfortably together, whilst Andrea and myself took the green Hyundai. Daryl was on first watch.

I wasn't so keen on the idea of sleeping in the back of the Hyundai, though took the chance of rest immediately and got inside beside my blonde friend. We folded seats and pushed the chairs forward to accommodate ourselves before wrapping ourselves up in the blankets that had been provided for us. I sighed when I had finally gotten myself mildly comfortable.

"I still can't get over that we're inside a _prison._" Andrea muttered. I chuckled a little.

"Cells and jumpsuits is what we can look forward to." I added. Andrea hummed in agreement.

"Can't say I'd complain though." She sighed. "Anything's better than what we've been through."

* * *

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Right before me stood Laurent and I wasn't surprised by his appearance. What I was surprised at was his physical being. He looked _a mess. _

"Have you just crawled out of a bin or something? You look terrible." I muttered, eyeing up Laurent's sickening skin and shaking posture. His eyes narrowed and he sat himself beside me. With shaky breaths he turned to me.

"Not feeling myself today." He admitted. "A lot of the group are developing some unusual sickness. They've been vomiting, having muscle spasms and a loss of motor control." I raised an eyebrow. "Guess I've caught it too." He chuckled lightly but I didn't meet his smile. I narrowed my eyes.

"Read somewhere online once about the side effects of cannibalism." I muttered, monotone. Laurent met my gaze steadily and I smirked. "I can tell you that it's not going to end very well."

* * *

It seemed as if I had just drifted off to sleep when the car shook suddenly as Andrea opened the door. I groaned tiredly and glanced out the windows - it was still dark out.

"Where are you going?" I asked, lazily. Andrea jumped out of the car and turned to me.

"My turn on watch." She explained before smiling and leaving.

I groaned in frustration at having been woken up and closed my eyes again, urging myself to drift off to sleep. The car shook as someone got inside and the door shut softly. The was a moment of silence and suddenly a familiar scent tickled my nose. A familiar scent of a particular hunter. I opened my eyes and sure enough saw Daryl lying in Andrea's place. What concerned me then was how on earth I had recognised Daryl's smell.

"Ya asleep?" Daryl muttered quietly.

"Yes." I replied, earning myself a chuckle from the hunter. "You still mad at me for almost getting killed? Cos if you ask me, I think it's a silly thing to get mad at me for."

"Ya would." Daryl replied softly, and I could hear the smile in his voice. This made me frown.

"I'm sorry about what Shane was saying about Merle to you before." I said, quietly. "He's an ass." Daryl snorted.

"Yeah he is." He agreed. "But it's alright. I know he's just full of piss 'nd wind. He's just another dumb, air-headed cop. I know Merle's out there somewhere, just gotta wait for the bastard to come find me." A pause. "_Us._" I smiled at this.

"And I'm sure he'll make some grand entrance, he's the kinda person who'd like that."

"Yeah, he'll be all dramatic 'bout it, make a right show 'nd dance." I listened to the sound of Daryl's voice, so full of admiration for his missing brother, and yet with a hint of sadness. I reached across the back seat Daryl and I shared and found Daryl's hand. I held it tightly and gave it a squeeze.

"Merle will be alright, Daryl." I told him, hoping my voice was strong enough to fill Daryl with hope. Despite his words, I knew there was doubt in Daryl. Doubt of his brother's survival. The love for his brother was evident even just through the tone of the hunter's voice.

"He did right by ya, didn't he?" Daryl asked suddenly. "It's just, Merle ain't really got such a great history when it comes to women. It didn't hurt ya or-"

"No." I quickly confirmed. "No, Merle never hurt me. He called me a few names, got a bit angry at times and shouted, but he never _hurt _me." I paused and sighed. "Perhaps it takes a world like this that can change a man like Merle?" Daryl was silent for a moment, contemplating my words. Suddenly though, Daryl gripped my hand back and returned with a squeeze of my hand.

"Maybe." He agreed. "Hopefully." Another drawn out silence. "Those people ya were with, the cannibals," I couldn't help but flinch at the memories. "Did they ever- ya know- did they ever hurt ya?"

"Not like they did the other women." I admitted. "Michonne and I remained anonymous to the men. I know if I didn't have Michonne I probably would have turned out just like the rest of the women." There was an eerie pause from Daryl and I heard him trying to control his breathing. "I thought I told you this before?"

"Ya did, but I just wanted to make sure." I frowned and was about to continue the subject when Daryl abruptly changed it. "So ya Sophia's new momma now." I winced at this.

"I'm not her momma, I can't replace Carol." I told him quietly. _No one could replace Carol. _"But I'll look after her and I won't let _anything _hurt her as long as I live. I promised Carol that at least."

"I can imagine ya done more for that little girl than she's used to."

"Nothing can compare to her mother's love." I reminded him. "_I _can't compare to her mother's love." Daryl squeezed my hand again.

"Ya don't have to, ya just gotta keep doin' what ya doin' 'nd _I _know everythin' will be alright. Sophia will be _alright._" I sighed and pulled my hand away from Daryl's to curl up under the blanket. My hand felt cold with the absence of his hand.

"I sincerely hope you're right."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Hello all! Sorry this update took longer than expected, been a busy bee again! :) Thank you for the support from the previous chapter. I appreciate all your words and comments very much! _

_To a reviewer - _BonneyQ_, I hope you noticed my brief imput of the side effects of cannibalism. I really liked your ideas, thank you for it! I intend to add this further down the line somehow, I just thought I'd add a little bit in for now. Hope you're still enjoying my story! _

_I did intend to rush the action on a bit and have them clear out the cell block etc but I realised that rushing it for the sake of it wasn't really my style. I know that my story may be dragging and apologises for the lack of Daryl/Ruby romance but I want to establish things first rather than jump right in - I hate that about some stories on here. Hopefully you can see the growing relationship between the pair now, but hopefully still within Daryl's character. Let me know how you think Daryl/Ruby's relationship is progressing. Too slow for you? Too fast? Just right? Hate them? Love them? :)_

_Still undecided about the prisoners. I know most of you will be expecting their appearance but I'm unsure how I'm gonna play them out. I have two different versions of the prisoners to go off as the Tv series and the comics base them all quite differently. I'm not up for making any up - I like the ones that have been established already and I feel I've already added enough OC to this story already. Though if there is a particular prisoner or verison of prisoners (comic/tv) that you guys prefer please say, I'd like to know where everyone is standing. _

_Mid season finale soon! Lucky Americans get to watch it tonight, whilst us from the UK have to wait until friday! For those American readers, I beg you not to give too many spoilers to me after watching it today if you are kind enough to leave a review. I can't even begin to express how excited I am to see how the last episode plays out (I'm hoping for some Daryl/Merle action) but sad to see it end for a while. Roll on February! _

_And for anyone who enjoys watching fanvids of this show, or just love Walking Dead in general, there's a link on my profile of a video on youtube called '_The Walking Dead-Goodbye'. _I would recommend it to every single one of you, it's a beautiful piece of work that really displays all emotions throughout the three seasons so far. Give it a watch and I promise you won't regret it! :) _

_Thanks again for the support and fingers crossed I'll have an update up ASAP._


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

_Chapter Twenty Three_

The group surveyed the prison from behind the safety of the locked gate. Walkers on the inside wandered aimlessly, having not noticed the presence of food yet, stumbling over their broken feet and passing each other without any regard. The yard of the prison was quite large, though infested with more walkers than there were in the grass compound. This was no surprise and it was clear that there would be more inside too.

"Civilian clothes." Rick murmured suddenly and my attention turned to a walker whose attire stood out from the rest as they were not wearing the expected dull blue jumpsuit.

"Check'd the perimeter," Daryl replied. "Any gaps we patched up." Rick nodded.

"They could have already been inside when the outbreak started." Andrea pointed out. "Visiting loved ones?"

"It's a possibility." Shane agreed. "Though don't matter 'cos we're gonna have to kill 'em anyhow." _This was true. _

"A group will go in this time, there isn't any towers that can really provide a lot of cover if we only send one in." Rick began before pointing to a gate right in the far back of the yard. "We'll aim to close that, then kill off those in the yard. We'll work this prison in parts."

"Who goes in?" Glenn asked. Rick glanced around, eyes landing on me.

"You can sit out on this one, Ruby. Reckon yesterday earned you a free pass." He told me with a smile. I smiled back, though wondered if I would have rather joined the group going in instead of remaining out here with the children and the rest. I met Daryl's eyes briefly, who's gaze implored mine, before looking away quickly.

The group going into the yard consisted of Rick, Shane, Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn. Andrea and Maggie both argued to join them though Herschel was adamant _not _to let Maggie join them, the risk being too unbearable to take. Andrea's argument however was battled for a short while, Shane standing up for her by saying she was a good shot, and finally Rick backed down and let her join them. She met my gaze with a smirk.

The group going in were given an hour to get ready as Rick and Shane patrolled the perimeter of the grassy compound to make sure it was secure and to 'talk about things'. I eyed up the pair, wondering what they talked about, but left it to help Andrea gather up what weapons she wanted to take in with her.

"Can't believe Rick's letting me go." Andrea gushed. "I didn't think anyone took me seriously when I said I wanted to learn how to shoot." I raised an eyebrow and let Andrea ramble. "Lori was all against it, said I should be letting the men do the muscle work whilst the women cleaned and cooked." She scoffed and I couldn't help but agree - _my experience with a group that had that mind set hadn__'__t gone done so well in the past. _"And when they let you go in alone, I couldn't believe it. Gave me hope that perhaps I'd get a go too." She grinned at me and raised her gun. "No more cooking and cleaning for us." I smiled back and gazed at the prison building over her shoulder.

"Guess cleaning and cooking won't be an issue in there." I muttered. Andrea hummed in agreement.

"They'll be a point when even Saint Lori will have to use that gun of hers." Andrea nodded, loading up her gun and shoving it into the back of her pants. "Gonna go find T-Dog and see if he wants to lend me a blunt object of some description." She grinned. "You coming?" I shook my head.

"Gonna see how the others are doing." I told her. She nodded and strolled off to find T-Dog. I watched her go before wandering over to the green Hyundai where I knew Daryl would be.

Sure enough, the hunter had his back to me as he stood by the open door of the car. His crossbow was on the chair in front of him and he was rummaging through his pockets and the bag he had with him for something. I eyed him for a moment from a distance, wondering why my stomach felt so sick all of a sudden and why there was a heavy feeling on my chest. No doubt hearing my footsteps, Daryl glanced over his shoulder before beckoning me over. I obliged.

"You seen my knife?" He grunted. "Can't find the damn thing." I shook my head before pulling out my own and holding it out to him. He glanced down at it before looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged and he almost smiled. "Thanks." He muttered before taking the object from me and studying it.

"It won't be as good as yours, I imagine. Clearly not as big." I told him. He shrugged before tucking the knife into his belt.

"Knife's a knife." He murmured before meeting my gaze again. "Ya gonna 'ave to tell ya mutt that I ain't bringin' him in with me. Been followin' me 'round 'nd whinin' a lot. Probably expects he's comin' in with me." He glanced down at the offending animal at his feet. "Mutt reckons he's Chuck Norris." I laughed, full-heartedly at the comment and glanced down at Toby before patting him. When I turned back to Daryl there was a ghost of a smile on his face, though it was gone before I could place it.

"You nervous?" I asked. Daryl snorted and I took that as my answer. I nodded with a sigh. "Well, be careful." The comment made Daryl pause for a moment though I didn't let him reply as I quickly whisked myself off to find Sophia, in fear that my blushing was becoming obvious.

* * *

Laurent heaved loudly in the corner of the room, his body hunched over and shaking quite violently. I observed him from the opposite side of the room, a weapon in hand just in case. Finally the spluttering died down and Laurent straightened himself up and glanced at back at me.

"Sorry about that." He muttered, I returned his apology with a glare.

"Yeah, thanks for potentially giving my position away with your God damn heaving." I grumbled. "You obviously ignored what I told you last time." Laurent sat himself down on the floor opposite me, his skin sickly pale and his eyes reddening considerably. _Another side effect, perhaps? _

"They brought a man back to camp a few days ago." He began. "Found him holding out in an abandoned barn." I froze for a moment, suddenly feeling sick. Laurent judged my reaction before continuing. "He had plenty of food to last him a while and had managed to fend of the dead with only a shotgun, pretty luck eh?" I didn't say anything, memories of the old man that let me hold up in his barn attic that night coming to mind. "Granddad was shouting the odds when we first found him, so we took his shotgun away and told him that he could join our ranks if he wanted as he seemed able to take care of himself." He paused and sighed. "He refused and we had quite a successful dinner."

The silence drew on painfully as we regarded each other. I processed his story, feeling sick to my core at the thought though also feeling pain for the realisation that the man that had helped me a couple of days back had made a 'successful dinner'.

These people, _these monsters, _they destroyed everything in the path.

* * *

Herschel and myself had the gate ready to open as the group gathered themselves ready to enter. Rick took deep breathes, gazing at his wife and son for a moment before nodding to Herschel and I. With combined strength we heaved the gate open and the group charged in. Without a moment's pause we shut the gate behind them and had it locked secure in an instant. Now all we could do was observe from our safety.

They worked with their backs to each other, so they could protect themselves from all angles. When one broke ranks for a moment, the rest would stop and wait to regroup again and then they'd plough on. No guns were used, though they were tucked away somewhere in belts and pockets, and I observed as the group's tactics were working quite effectively. They were taking down all walkers in their path but they were becoming hard to see as they continued further across the yard.

"I can't see Rick," Lori muttered quickly, gripping the fence tightly in her slender fingers. My eyes raced amongst the carnage before spotting the defiant leader and pointing him out to his wife.

"He's securing the gates with Daryl." I told her. _They__'__d made it to the other side. _Now all they had to do was take the remaining walkers out. _Sounded easy enough. _

Herschel and Maggie stood together, the latter looking out for Glenn no doubt while the former looked out with a communal concern. Lori and I stood together, both children beside us as we hoped that those inside would make it out alright. Our attention was so divided on the group on the inside, who had almost taken out all the walkers, that we weren't paying attention to anything else. It was only when Sophia screamed that we pried our eyes away.

A walker had stumbled over to us without our realising and had grabbed at Sophia from the other side of the fence, it's claws wrapping around her and trying to rip her apart. I fumbled quickly for my knife when Sophia screamed so more, though realised in an instance that I had given it to Daryl and my stomach plummeted. A moment later, however, a gun shot rang out across the air and the walker dropped to the ground.

The group in the yard had finished clearing out the walkers and were running in our direction, though they weren't the source of the gunshot. Carl stood beside his mother, a gun raised - a gun I didn't know he had - and had it aimed where the walker's head once was. We stared down at him as he looked positively shell-shocked, before Sophia launched herself at him, almost winding him in a hug.

"What happened?" Rick demanded breathlessly once they reached us.

"A walker tried to grab at Sophia." Maggie explained quickly. "Carl shot it."

"Wait- Carl?!" Rick stared at his son with shock, as did Shane beside him. His mother was frozen in place as she only had eyes for the gun in her son's hand. "Sophia, are you alright?" The little girl pried herself away from her friend and nodded, a surprisingly large smile on her face. Carl blushed sheepishly and turned to his mother.

"I did good, didn't I Mom?" He asked hesitantly. Lori swallowed hard, glancing at her husband before smiling thinly at Carl and nodded. It read all over her face that she wasn't happy with the weapon in her son's hands but she could say nothing of it and she restrained herself well as she quickly gathered her son into her arms.

I remained speechless still, my stomach feeling ill at the situation that had just arose a few moments ago. _I couldn__'__t save her. _When the time came, I couldn't save Sophia. After I had promised Carol I would look after her daughter, I had failed at even the first hurdle and was thankful that the Grimes' son was adamant to ignore his mother's wishes when it came to guns. _I had failed her. _

My thoughts were halted when Sophia's arms wrapped around my middle and I realised that Sophia must have understood what I was thinking. And that made me feel a whole lot better. But it did not take the thoughts away completely.

"Is everyone alright?" Herschel asked Rick and everyone in the yard. A confirmation came back. "What happens now?" Rick glanced over his shoulder to where caged steps led up to a door to the inside of the prison.

"We'll go inside, check it out and see if there's a place we can stay. Clear out a cell block if we can." He told the older man. "In the mean time, it's best you guys stay in there where we know it's safe. We'll need to double check this yard before we can move everyone inside." When we all nodded in agreement the group in the yard, banded together and made their way towards the door Rick was meaning.

The rest of us watched them go, all probably with the same sickening feeling in our stomachs, and knew all we could do now was wait for them to return to us. _Hope they would return to us._

* * *

I thought I saw them once. _Merle and Michonne. _

I was staggering through the forest, exhausted from running. From hiding. Exhausted from life.

It was days like this when all I wanted to do was stick the gun in my mouth and pull the trigger. But I had convinced myself that that was a cowardly way to consider the situation I had found myself in. Though it was very inviting, that was for sure.

I decided to crouch down, my back to a tree, whilst I counted my remaining ammo and loaded my gun. I was in dire need for a Laurent visit soon, though I hated to admit it. I certainly wasn't going to admit to him that I needed him either.

Suddenly I heard a twig snap and I was on alert. I didn't move, merely raised my gaze and glanced around to see if anything physical was visible. _Nothing. _But there was more twigs snapping and it sounded like footsteps were coming closer. I swallowed hard, knowing what the possibilities were and was thankful I had finished loading my gun.

The noises were coming from my left and I waited, holding my breath, for the moment something appeared from between the trees. When something did, I froze.

Two figures staggered through the trees, not noticing me crouched down in the undergrowth. One was a man, a bald head, while the other was a woman with dark skin and unusually dreaded hair. My heart leapt at the sight of them, despite not having seen their faces.

"Merle! Michonne!" I cried without thinking. The figures stopped and I leapt up and revealed myself. I waited for them to turn around, to see me, a grin on my face. Though it was then I noticed their ripped, decaying clothes. My grin faded. _No. _

They turned around slowly, their dead bodies too broken for quick movement, and revealed their faces. I felt my breath release when I saw it wasn't them. _It wasn__'__t Merle and Michonne, they hadn__'__t been turned into the decaying dead. _The faces of these doppelgangers turned up in snarls of hunger and I sighed, pocketing my gun and bringing out my knife. _There was no need to make too much noise. _

I took out doppelganger Michonne first as she was closest and she fell like dead weight - _fitting. _Next, doppelganger Merle staggered over and I paused to observe the man one last time, thinking of my handless friend and all we had been through.

"_Oh, girlie.__"__ The man grunted before I left. I glanced over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. __"__Name__'__s Merle.__"_

"_Lighten up, darlin__'__, we__'__re free!__"__ He cried_

"_Merle saved me.__"__ I cut in quickly, silencing the man. __"__It was an accident. If it wasn__'__t for Merle, I would have been eaten.__"_

"_Thank you for what you did. You saved my life.__"__ I paused and sighed. __"__I owe you one.__"__ Merle then chuckled and shook his head. _

"_You saved me from that camp, sugar. Reckon that makes us even now, don__'__t it?__"_

"_I ain__'__t the kinda bloke that does heart-to-hearts and all that shit.__"_

"_Just gotta look at the bright side, darlin__'__.__"_

"_Suppose, it depends if you have anythin__'__ to live for.__"_

_Merle__'__s face staring in horror at me and his mouth screaming words I couldn__'__t hear. _

When doppelganger Merle got too close, I didn't hesitate in raising my blade and aiming it straight for his head. Just like his predecessor, this doppelganger fell to the ground at my feet. I swallowed hard and stared down at the pair of them. Then I wiped away the tears I didn't know I had shed.

"Goodbye." I murmured to the bodies, quickly leaving before anymore came by.

_I miss you both._

* * *

Carl and Sophia were amusing themselves by playing with Toby, after Lori had encouraged them to go do something as we waited for the others. Herschel had urged Maggie to join him as he went to retrieve some water and food for us all to consume while we waited - suppose it gave them something to do, gave _Maggie _something to do whilst she waited for Glenn.

Lori hadn't moved very far from the gate. She had positioned herself cross-legged on the floor, her eyes darting between the prison yard and her son playing. I sat beside her, finding nothing else for myself to do.

"Suppose it's too late for me to congratulate you on your baby, isn't it?" I murmured after the silence was becoming unbearable. Lori chuckled a little.

"No it isn't, thank you Ruby." She replied, smiling. A pause. "Sorry about hounding on you that day. I said some things that I didn't mean, that I regret. I don't want things to be awkward between us, not after everything that has happened with Dale and Beth and-" A pause. "Carol." There was a long moment of silence and Sophia and Carl's cries of amusement could be heard. "I hope you can forgive me?" I smiled slightly and shrugged.

"I don't hold anything against you, Lori." I told her, honestly. "I did a lot of things I regret and I knew I deserved some of the stuff you and Shane said. But I would like that to be put behind us now." We shared a smile and the air between us became a lot easier.

"I didn't know you knew Merle." Lori stated after a while. I chuckled without humour, looking down at the ground and plucking at the grass.

"I didn't know Merle was Daryl's brother." I admitted. "Would have said something sooner if I had done."

"When did you tell Daryl?" She asked, softly.

"Just after the attack on the farm." I told her. "He mentioned he had a brother and told me about when Merle lost his hand. Things just clicked in my mind then, though I guess I always thought there was something familiar about Daryl." Lori thought for a moment.

"Merle wasn't a particularly nice person when I knew him." Lori stated quietly. "Him and Daryl always isolated themselves from us. When they left Merle in Atlanta, I thought Daryl would go off the rails, he already tried to kill Rick when he found out what happened."

"But he didn't." I pointed out, quickly, not liking the critical tone in Lori's voice as she spoke about Daryl. Or Merle for that matter. "When I first met Merle, I will admit that I didn't believe he was the nicest of people. But that changed after time. I depended on him, believed in him. And when he and Michonne left me, I felt so alone, so lost without them." I paused, turning back to Lori, who was listening to me thoughtfully. "I don't care what any of you say about him, I believe he's a good man and I have every ounce of assurance that we'll see him again one day. Him and Michonne."

"You still think he's alive?" She asked. I nodded without a second thought.

"I _know _he's alive." I told her. Lori sighed and turned away to check on Sophia and Carl.

"I don't know what will happen if Merle comes back." Lori admitted. "They'll be a lot of fighting and confrontation. Merle didn't make such good friends with Rick apparently, and he never liked Shane. It doesn't help that he'll blame T-Dog for dropping the key too." She shook her head and sighed. "Nothing good can come of Merle returning." I frowned at this.

"_Imma kill the lot of them if I ever see them again." _Merle's words echoed in my mind, though I pushed them back, not truly believing the statement he had come out with all that time back.

"Daryl having his brother back is a good thing." I pointed out, dryly. Lori paused and turned her gaze to me and I realised she had nothing to say to that. _Good. _Despite having made up with the woman, there was bound to be some confrontation between us in the future. _Merle Dixon happened to be a topic of confrontation between us._

Suddenly there was a sound coming from the prison yard and Lori and my heads turned to the direction of the door into the prison. Andrea and Glenn emerged and were heading towards us. Lori and I quickly got to our feet.

"Herschel! Maggie!" Lori cried, getting the rest of those left behind's attention. The farmer and his daughter's figures could be seen making their way rapidly towards us. The children paused in their games and quickly sprinted over too. Once the four of them had reached us, Andrea and Glenn and reached the gate too.

"Glenn!" Maggie exclaimed, beaming unimaginably wide. Glenn smiled in return and nodded to Herschel in acknowledgement.

"Is everyone alright?" Lori asked quickly. When Andrea nodded, everyone visibly relaxed.

"We cleared out a cell block and secured a small part of the prison enough for us to hold up in." Andrea went on to tell us. "It's big enough for everyone to have a cell each and we'll plan to find the kitchens and infirmary once we've got everyone settled and moved our belongings inside."

"What are we going to do with the vehicles?" Herschel asked.

"We'll move them into the yard now and take everything we need inside." Glenn explained. "Though someone will need to quickly check the yard to make sure it's secure." Maggie volunteered herself and Glenn for that job.

"While you check it's secure we'll bring the vehicles into the yard." Andrea nodded.

Herschel and I unlocked the gate so Maggie and Glenn could get to work on the perimeter as the rest of us made our way towards the vehicles. Andrea and Herschel took the RV, Lori took the Chevrolet and I was stuck with the Hyundai. Sophia and Carl were bundled into the RV and the convoy moved up into the yard.

Glenn and Maggie quickly secured the yard and told us it was secure while the rest of us set to work on parking the vehicles and gathering up our belongings from inside. The belongings were distributed between the eight of us and Andrea led the way inside the prison, while Glenn brought up the rear.

Inside, the prison was dismally dark and we had to keep in a tight group incase we got lost. Sophia's little hand clutched mine and I knew the other would be holding Carl's equally as tight. My free hand held onto my gun tightly and my eyes darted about the darkness waited for something to pounce at us.

Nothing did. Though along the way to the cell block we encountered several bodies, all with either knife wounds or bullet holes in their heads. This was comforting.

Suddenly a figure appeared in our path and there a brief moment when weapons were raised. Triggers refrained from being pulled though when the figure spoke.

"Don't shoot! It's only me!" T-Dog's voice quickly cut in. A flashlight was raised into the man's face and sure enough T-Dog's was illuminated. "C'mon, it's this way."

We entered Cell Block C with trepidation, and T-Dog shut the cell door behind us and there were muffled sounds as the man secured the door shut. Keeping us safe. There was a small communal area with chairs and tables, a common room of some description perhaps for the prisoners?, which looked grim and mildly battered. A doorway in the far right was barred and Shane stood in the doorway, his shot gun cradled in his arms. Another door on the far left was also barred though this was shut and lead into a dark corridor. Chains hung on that door and I gathered the others had made sure that door was locked. We followed Andrea as she made her way over to the doorway in which Shane stood in front of. A small smirk was on his face.

"Welcome home." He grinned, standing aside to let us by. Hesitantly, the rest of us went through the door way.

The actual cells were all on the left hand wall, while tall barred windows were on the other. There was two platforms, the bottom and stairs that lead up to the next. The ceiling was tall and though the whole cell block itself looked grim and dark, there was something about the place that made me breath a sigh of relief.

Rick then emerged, bounding down the stairs towards us. Carl wasted no time in running toward his father and engulfing him in a hug. Rick laughed and there was something about the relaxed look on the man's face that spoke full volumes. Daryl followed Rick down the stairs shortly after. He glanced towards where Rick and Carl were laughing together, Lori walking over to join her family, before he raised his gaze to the rest of us.

The group quickly ventured through the cell block, observing their new home and asking question after question. I held back my thoughts and merely observed the cells, tugging Sophia behind me as I went.

"Pick a cell, people." Shane called. "This is where we'll be sleeping."

"We've secured this cell block completely. As long as you stay in here and the room outside then you'll be safe. T-Dog secured the door to the rest of the prison so we don't have to worry about any walkers wandering in." Rick explained to us all, easing any worries.

"Secured the door in as well, just incase." T-Dog told us. Rick nodded. "Though the yard and the compound are fine anyway."

"Just incase." Rick agreed with a smile, before turning to everyone else. "We'll work on finding the infirmary and kitchens next before we consider other cell blocks." He carried on. "There's a lot of prisoners kept here, so that means a lot of walkers. We can't take them all out at once, but in stages I think we can do it." There was a pause as Rick surveyed his wife and son with a smile. "This place is perfect. We're safe." _Safe, that wasn__'__t a word we heard very often with such clarity. _"Like Shane said, pick a cell to rest in, you've got plenty to choose from."

"Which one do you want then, Sophia?" I asked as Sophia and myself surveyed the top floor of the cell block. Sophia had insisted on a cell up here as that was where the Grimes' were choosing to stay. Sophia picked herself a cell, one that was without any bloodstain unlike a few we had come across, and sat herself down on the bed.

"It's pretty comfy." She grinned. I laughed and joined her. I surprisingly had to agree.

On the bottom floor Herschel, Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea all found themselves a cell each to sleep in. Maggie and Glenn's cells were suspiciously next to each other, but Herschel had firmly taken the one on Maggie's other side to urge a point. Lori and Carl shared a cell, whilst Rick took one beside them, with Shane taking one on his other side. Sophia and my cell was on the other side of Lori and Carl's so Sophia was as close to her friend as possible. There was speculation on whether it should be allowed that Sophia and Carl shared a cell, but that idea was demolished before it was really discussed.

The location of Daryl's chosen cell was a mystery as the man continued to walk the cell block alone without even considering a cell.

It had been an odd day, which had ended with me sitting on the bunk bed of Sophia's chosen cell, staring at the opposite wall. I was currently alone as Sophia was out with Carl and Lori. Dinner was being discussed and it wasn't as if I was hiding from any responsibility as I knew Lori wouldn't consider asking me after our talk earlier today. I merely just wanted to think a little.

Outside in the cell block, there was the distant chatter as the rest of the group were talking together. No more plans were being made, everyone was resting for the day. Plans for finding the infirmary and kitchens were put on hold until tomorrow. Something I knew the whole group was glad for.

"Knock knock." A voice murmured at the cell door. I glanced up and saw Daryl stood there. I smiled slightly at the man and he ventured into the cell, leaning against the wall I was previously just locked in a staring contest with.

"You alright?" I asked the man. He gave me a stiff nod before producing something from his pocket. _My knife. _I stared down at the object, regarding it with a cold stare as I remembered Sophia nearly being killed and I couldn't protect her. He held it out for me to take, which I did numbly. "Thanks." I muttered, throwing the object on the bed beside me and leaning back against the wall, actively ignoring Daryl's imploring gaze.

"Not ya fault what happened to Sophia." Daryl said after a while. "It was just an accident, we should have been more careful and taken care of that walker when we were clearing out the yard-"

"Don't blame it on yourself, Daryl." I urged quickly. "_I _told Carol I would protect her and I couldn't today." I swallowed hard. "If it wasn't for Carl then I could have lost her. I _failed _Carol." There was a brief moment of silence before Daryl pushed himself away from the wall and walked the short distance towards the bed and took a seat beside me.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya how much ya done for that little girl?" He murmured softly, leaning back on the wall beside me. "Just gotta remember that she's fine, nothin' happened to her. Don't blame yourself for anythin' that happens 'cos ya not responsible. Sophia sure doesn't 'nd that's all that should matter."

"Wouldn't have put you down as the heart-to-heart guy." I muttered with a smile. Daryl snorted.

"I ain't." He contradicted.

"Neither is your brother." I said before I stopped myself. The silence grew thick as the pair of us were lost in our thoughts. I wondered if I perhaps shouldn't have said anything.

"No he isn't." Daryl agreed, softly. With that, Daryl heaved himself off of the bed and glanced back down at me. He gave me a small smile before turning to leave. I quickly stopped him.

"Daryl, wait." I urged. The hunter stopped in the cell door and glanced over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow. "We need to tell the others about Dale."

"What 'bout him?" Daryl asked quietly. I frowned and stood up, facing the hunter.

"You know exactly _what._" I almost hissed. "How he turned." Daryl's eyes implored mine for a moment as the man thought it over. "They have the right to know, Daryl." After a moment, Daryl exhaled deeply and nodded.

"Now?"

"It's better to do it sooner rather than later. Might as well do it now while things are quiet." I sighed. Daryl scoffed at the comment and led the way out the cell and toward where the others were gathered downstairs.

Rick glanced up at us as Daryl and I made our way down the metal stairs and conversation paused for a moment.

"Rick, we got summit to tell y'all." Daryl called out in his Southern drawl. I was quite thankful Daryl had taken lead of our confession and hung back a little as Daryl strode forcefully over towards the group. I saw Rick raise an eyebrow and look curious.

"Now, ya'll are cute 'nd all, but I don't fancy hearin' 'bout ya'll mating before I eat my dinner. It'll put me off my food." Shane sniggered from the back. In an instance, Daryl had pounced on the man and threw a punch square in the burly man's face. The moment was unexpected and I frowned at Shane's comment as Rick and T-Dog heaved the pair apart.

"Enough!" Rick roared. "This ain't the time! Shane keep your mouth shut if you haven't got anything productive to add!" Shane wiped the blood away from his mouth and pulled his grip out of Rick's. T-Dog patted Daryl gently on the back and Daryl nodded once at the man. "What is it Daryl?"

"It's about Dale." I cut in quickly. I saw Andrea's face pain considerably and I sighed at what I was about to do to her. "He turned." The was a long pause as the group merely stared at me.

"What do you mean, he _turned?_" Rick asked.

"He turned into a walker." Daryl told him.

"That's impossible." Andrea shook her head. "Dale was shot. He wasn't bitten."

"We know." Daryl nodded. "There wasn't a scratch or a bite mark on him, I checked. But he still turned. He err-" A paused as he glanced at me awkwardly. I sighed and nodded.

"He bit Carol." I hated how pain suddenly consorted Sophia's face at the mention of her mother and wished I could take the pain away. But I couldn't. I couldn't help rid the pain of the loss of her mother. And the news wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but we _needed _to inform the others about what we had found.

"You sure?" Shane asked, ignorantly. I glared at the man.

"Yes, we're _fucking_ sure." I hissed, earning myself a return glare and an almost snarl. I eyed the rest of the group and saw the uncertainty in their eyes. "You don't believe us, do you?"

"It's impossible." Andrea said, firmly. I saw how her eyes flared as she directed her stare at me. "He can't have turned when he wasn't bitten." I noticed how the blonde glared at me and refrained myself from spitting a insult back at my friend as I saw her judging me right down to my core. She was just in denial over her friend's death.

"It's not impossible." Rick piped up suddenly, eyes distant. The group turned to him as he sighed deeply, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"What do you mean, Rick?" Lori asked slowly, her eyes defiantly on her husband. Everyone else had the same confused expression on their faces as we observed our leader in a inner battle with himself. Then Rick spoke, his voice a breathless murmur, and no one could scarcely believe what they had just heard;

_"We're all infected."_

"What?" Shane was the first to break the staggering silence as he stared at his best friend. Rick glanced up at him before sweeping his gaze amongst everyone.

"Jenner told me something at the CDC," He began. _Jenner? CDC?_ "He told me that we all carry it. No matter how we die, we come back as one of them. We don't have to be bitten or scratched by one of them, as soon as we die we become one." Another pause and Rick repeated with a little more defiance; "We're all infected."

I met Daryl's gaze as he glanced back at me. _That certainly explained what happened to Dale. _It seemed that I wasn't the only one keeping secrets around here.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Mid-Season finale! Wow! No words can describe how truly awesome it was! Still lost for words on how amazing it was, great mid-season finale to leave us all on our toes. The ending was definitely my favourite, especially Daryl's face when he saw Merle and visa versa. They most definitely delievered in this episode. And Tyreese is here? So excited! The rest of the season really does look to be promising! Cannot wait until February! :D What's everyone's thoughts on the finale?_

_Well, now _The Walking Dead_ is over for a couple of months, I really intend to write a lot for this story. The last episode alone gave me ALOT of inspiration and fingers crossed I can make things work and that you guys will enjoy it. _

_Thank you very much for your comment on the last update, they really mean a lot and I'm glad that my story is being enjoyed. Hopeful you all continue to enjoy it and please feel free to give me feedback on anything you don't like. I only wish to improve! I'll get the next update up soon, thanks again. _


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

_Chapter Twenty Four_

Dinner was an awkward event.

It took place mostly in silence as we ploughed through the rations that had been conjured up for us. Eyes darted around everyone, usually across to where our leader sat apart from the rest. Even Lori and Carl had taken place beside Herschel and Maggie, away from Rick as they possibly could be. _Lori's wishes_.

Once Rick had confessed, words were thrown from every direction. Most were accusations against him and demanding why he hadn't spoken sooner. _It wouldn__'__t have mattered. Didn__'__t think we needed to know. _Were Rick's answers. _Excuses, _according to Shane.

Rick and Shane had a violent bust up. First words were thrown between the pair and T-Dog had to place himself between them both before things got physical. Herschel demanded silence from the pair and urged that Rick's reasoning was heard before he was accused of anything. Even after Rick calmly told everyone that he believed he was doing it for the good of the group, Shane stepped in and that's when everything blew up.

"Good of the group?!" He demanded. "Man, you fucked up your priorities there, didn't ya!" Rick glared at his friend. "You could have prevented a whole lotta shit-"

"What could I have prevented, Shane?!" Rick challenged. "What could knowing this possibly change anything that has happened?" Shane stepped forward, urging T-Dog to square up and firmly make a point that Shane wasn't getting any closer to Rick.

"If you'd told us then perhaps Carol would still be here!" Shane threw back. Sophia gasped in horror, hands flew to mouths, Rick's eyes darkened. Regardless of T-Dog or not, Rick launched at his friend, taking the barrier by surprise and managing to land a punch in Shane's jaw before T-Dog reacted.

"Lay off!" T-Dog cried, shoving Rick away. Daryl and Glenn quickly stepped in to restrain the pair of them, in aid for T-Dog.

"Both of you, stop now!" Lori's voice cut in, halting both men. The pair were seething, anger radiating from them both. "Shane, what you said isn't-"

"Isn't true?" Shane cut across, eyes darting to her. "You positive about that, Lori? You tellin' me that if we had known that you'd turn after death that Carol would still have died? We could have shot Dale in the head to make sure and prevented what happened!"

"That doesn't matter anymore, Shane!" Lori shook her head. "There's no point making guesses at what could have happened." Her eyes were flaring. "Carol is dead. Dale is dead. Nothing will change that and speculating things will not bring them back!"

"I ain't trying to bring them back," Shane cried. "I'm trying to prove that perhaps Rick's decisions ain't really following to plan!" He rounded on his friend. "You sure there ain't anymore secrets you have to share with the group, brother?!" Rick's eyes hardened as he stared Shane down.

"Is there any secrets _you _have to share, _brother?_" Rick spat, quietly. Shane's face started for a moment and his face dropped a little. Rick then turned to where his wife stood, not softening the dark look on his face. "And what about _you?__" _His eyes glanced down at Lori's stomach and back to her dawning face.

"Love, please-"

"Don't 'love' me!" Rick cried, startling everyone in the cell block. "Well?!" He glanced between the pair. "Do you have anything you wish to 'share with the group'?" Shane averted his eyes when Rick turned to him and Lori's face paled. The rest of us remained silent, _still_. "If any of you wish to take lead then be my guest! I'm doing my best to keep you people _alive. _I made the choice of keeping what Jenner said a secret for the good of the _group. _I challenge anyone of you to take charge if you have any objections that that." His eyes darted amongst everyone and I avoided eye contact when he looked my way. "No one?!" He turned and directed his question mostly to Shane this time and Shane chose to ignore him.

Silence followed afterwards and the discussion was dropped instantly. Rick muttered for dinner to be made before leaving the cell block to 'take a walk'. When he came back, he seated himself away from the group only thanking Herschel when he passed him his food before ignoring everyone else altogether.

The rest of the group spoke nothing about the argument and had gone about activities as if nothing had happened.

I glanced at Rick as he ate alone, remembering his words and wondering what he meant. I had my ideas about Shane and Lori and wondered if Rick had come to the same conclusion. If he had, it wasn't my place to question. It was for Lori, Rick and Shane to sort out. _The fertility of the baby was perhaps a question that needed to be asked. _

After dinner, I decided to take Sophia up rest and bided everyone goodnight. Others made to follow and I heard Rick mutter that he would take first watch.

"What do you think Mr Grimes meant today, Ruby?" Sophia asked quietly as I helped her up onto the top bunk. I shrugged and told her I didn't know. She didn't seem to like my answer but took it anyway and drifted off to sleep almost instantly. I did hear a few suspicious sniffs though coming from the top bunk before her steady breathing followed. I didn't pester the girl about her crying, I didn't comfort her, _I didn't do anything_. She needed the moment to grieve over her mother in peace. I was glad though when she finally fell asleep and hoped she would feel better in the morning.

I wished I had the same ravine as her and ended up lying awake for quite a while, merely staring up at the brackets of a bed above me. Sophia's soft breaths were all that was heard as she slept peacefully. I envied the girl but was thankful that she was sleeping so well after the insensitivity of Shane today.

"_If you__'__d told us then perhaps Carol would still be here!__"_

Despite the nagging in the back of my head that told me what Shane was saying was right, I blatantly ignored it. Rick was a good man and had done right by me. I would stand by him in an instant.

With a sigh, I decided I would go see who was on watch and either accompany them or relieve them of their duties. As quietly as I could as not to wake Sophia or anyone nearby, I crept out of our cell and made my way towards the steps. Again, I carried myself down the stairs with equal trepidation and made my way towards the common room area to see who was on watch duty.

I wasn't surprised to find Rick alone with his back against the far wall with full view of all three doors into the room. He glanced up at me when I appeared, his eyes darkening a moment before the flare left him and he smiled slightly at me.

"Can't sleep?" He asked hollowly. I shook my head and returned his smile.

"You want to go rest whilst I take over?" I offered. He shook his head, grimacing slightly.

"Rather not go up there at the moment." He confessed. I nodded with understanding. _He__'__d rather not go near Lori and Shane at the moment. _

"Do you mind if I join you then?" I asked. Rick thought a moment before shaking his head and patting a spot beside him.

"Pull up a dusty floor." He muttered. I obliged taking a seat beside our _breaking _leader. I could tell by the look on his face and by his outburst today that he was struggling to hold things together. The pressure on him had obviously mounted considerably and he was struggling to cope with it all. _It was unsurprising. _

"My mother had an affair once." I spoke up suddenly, needing to fill the silence with something, even if it was just rambling. "With my dad's brother. I remember the day my dad found out, my sister and I were there when my Uncle Stephen told everyone and begged my mother to leave my dad for him. Kinda blew up in his face as my mother told him no." I paused, wondering if this was really the best story to be telling Rick right now. "I remembering wishing that my dad would hit him, do something to make him hurt like Uncle Stephen had done to him. But my dad was too much of a nice guy to wish harm upon anyone." I sighed. "He did nothing, didn't even hold it against my Uncle Stephen or my mother."

"Did they divorce?" Rick asked quietly. I shook my head.

"They worked things out." I muttered, glancing up at Rick. His face was thoughtful.

"My baby-" He paused and swallowed. "_The _baby. I don't even know-" He trailed off and sniffed loudly, trying to restrain himself from crying no doubt. "I don't even know if it's mine." I nodded. _I guess I was right about Lori and Shane. _

"Have you spoken to either of them about it?" I asked. "Other than today's little showdown?" He chuckled dryly and shook his head.

"They didn't know that I knew until today." He confessed.

"And how did you find out?" Rick turned his gaze to me and smiled slightly.

"_You _know and you've only been here a short while." He pointed out. "Of course I _know, _I just pretend like I didn't. Tried to ignore it because I thought it would go away, but now Lori's pregnant and I-" He shook his head and turned away.

"Rick, it may not be my place to say because I'd never try and tell you what to do, but I think maybe you should talk to Lori." I told him, slowly. "Because, I _know _she loves you, she's your wife. This is something you need to talk about with her before you, well, before you tear yourself apart by thinking about it."

"What if it's not mine?" He whispered with a shaky breath.

"Do you want it to be yours?" I asked. He remained thoughtful for a while, his eyes glazed and staring, before he chuckled a little.

"I've always wanted a little girl." He confessed softly. "But then again, I suppose a little brother for Carl wouldn't be so bad either." I laughed at Rick's dreamy tone.

"See, you want the baby." I smiled. "And I don't think that whatever happened between Shane and Lori is going on anymore. If that helps?" Rick chuckled again.

"A little." He murmured. There was a pause of thoughtful silence.

"Talk to her, Rick. Find where you stand and discuss things from there." I continued. "Because I'm not ashamed to admit it, but we need you. _The group needs you as leader._" I sighed. "I wouldn't have it any other way and I'm proud to follow whatever order you make." I saw Rick's turn up in a smile as he glanced at me sideways. "Suppose it doesn't count for much, but I got your back." Rick laughed heartedly and shook his head.

"No, it means a lot." He told me, before reaching out and grasping my hand tightly in his. "Thanks Ruby." I squeezed it back.

* * *

"How's Jessica doing?" I asked Laurent one day. The man's health had picked up considerably which was no surprise when he confessed that he had been avoiding the meat for a while.

"She's fine." Laurent replied, handing over his usual bag of stuff for me. Ammo, food and water. "Talks a lot about you." I paused in my rummaging through the bag and glanced up at the man.

"Does she know?" I asked. Laurent raised an eyebrow.

"Know what? That I still keep in contact with you?" He scoffed. "Hell, no one knows Ruby. If they did they'd have my head and demand your location." I smirked a little.

"I'm not a favourite amongst the camp then?" I sniggered. He chuckled dryly.

"Gov's out for blood, Ruby." He muttered. "Yours and Michonne's. He's determind to find you both." I smirked a little. "Reminds me, I was meaning to ask you about that handless man." I raised an eyebrow as my smirk dropped. I tried to display no emotion.

"Handless man?" I asked, innocently. Laurent bought it.

"You know that guy you were treating before you ransacked the camp?" He prompted. I pretended to be enlightened and urged him to continue. "You take him with you when you and Michonne scampered?"

It was a well known fact between us that Michonne had come with me, Laurent had guessed it pretty quick and it was apparently assumed amongst the Governor and his camp. What wasn't known know was our third member and I was determind to keep Merle's part a secret. I didn't know what trouble I could cause if I confessed that Merle was with us, I didn't want to compromise him if he was in trouble with the Governor and the others. _I felt I owed him that. _

"No, it was just Michonne and I."

* * *

Rick left after a little while when I demanded he go get some rest. _He was yawning far too frequently._ He obliged after a lot of pushing on my behalf and bided me goodnight. After he was gone, the silence dragged on and I passed my time counting slabs on the ceiling, which proved difficult in the dark.

T-Dog came to relieve me in the early hours of the morning and I was thankful as I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I chattered a little with the large man before biding him goodnight and rushing back to my cell to sleep. Once my head hit the pillow I was unconscious to the world.

I was awoken by Sophia gently nudging me and her soft voice telling me that breakfast was nearly ready. I told her I'd be there in a bit and urged myself awake. It was odd to admit that sleeping in a cell was the first night I had felt refreshed in a long time.

_Much better than sleeping in a tent or a tree! _

When I left my cell, I heard the distant chatter of Lori and Rick a few cells away and smiled slightly as I realised Rick had taken my advice and was talking to his wife. Down with the rest of the group, the mood had picked up considerably than it was the night before and I greeted everyone with a warm smile and accepted the rationed food from Glenn thankfully.

"What kind of food do you reckon they've got cooped up here?" Maggie asked.

"Gruel." Shane sniggered, smirking at Carl and Sophia's disgusted faces.

"I'm not eating that." Carl stated defiantly and Sophia nodded in agreement.

"How do you know if you haven't tried it?" Andrea challenged, smiling when the pair turned to each other with upturned noses.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but last night's sleep was the best I've had in a long time, and that's a worrying thought." Shane hollered loudly in his booming tones. There was murmur of agreement amongst the group. "Daryl, I expect you've probably slept in a cell before, ain't you?" The reaction this earned was a lot tamer than Shane probably expected. Daryl glared half-heartedly, almost jokingly, at the man before shaking his head.

"Ain't ever been to prison." He told us all. "Merle had a bunch of times, but I ain't."

"You know, this Merle is becoming to sound like a real charmer." Maggie muttered.

"Oh yeah, he's delightful." Shane laughed. I met Daryl's gaze across the table and tried to smile in an attempt to boast the hunter's evidently dying mood. It seemed to work as Daryl's face softened and he returned my smile with a small attempt of his own. _It was certainly good enough for me. _

Just then Lori and Rick emerged, soft expressions on their faces. I saw Shane's expression evidently drop as Lori touched her husband's arm gently and as they both shared a smile before Lori joined her son at the table. _They had worked things out, it seemed. _I was glad of it.

Rick coughed to get everyone's attention.

"Look, I'm gonna come right out and apologise for yesterday's events." He stated firmly, straight to the point. "I got angry and I know I probably scared a few of you, but it was just a moment thing." He sighed. "The pressure just got a little over-whelming but I feel better know, so hopefully you can forgive me?"

"Rick, you did nothing that needs to be forgiven." Herschel stated clearly and Rick smiled his thanks at the man. When everyone else agreed, Shane's a mere stiff nod in his friend's direction, Rick's face relaxed with relief. He shared a brief smile with me before sweeping his eyes across everyone.

"Plans for the kitchens and the infirmary then."

A group was going to go, it was decided, though _who _in the group was another matter. Lori, Carl and Sophia were all staying behind for obvious reasons, though Rick was very clear that he wanted someone, if not a few people, to stay behind who had clear experience with a gun.

Andrea was volunteered to stay behind and I knew she wasn't happy about it. She argued her case, but Rick shot her down and she backed down when she realised that she was fighting a losing battle. Herschel was also asked to stay behind, for medical purposes apparently and the man was more than happy to. Another decision that shocked the group was when Rick asked Shane to stay behind. The man himself looked visibly shocked when Rick asked him to, even argued to go, but Rick said he wanted him to stay. Taking in the look on Rick's face was enough to make Shane agree and he nodded numbly.

"The rest of us will go." Rick stated then. "Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, T-Dog, Ruby and myself." He confirmed this quickly with us all, asking us each if that was alright. No one said it wasn't and Rick said we had an hour to prepare ourselves, before he asked if he could speak to Andrea real quick.

I watched the pair go for a moment before I headed back to my cell to gather up my weapons. Sophia joined me, telling me that I had to be safe and gave me tip after tip on how to kill a walker. _Cute. _

"Who's been telling you all this?" I teased after a while. She smiled.

"Carl has." She admitted. "He said he wanted to learn how to kill a walker properly. So do _I_." I studied her for a moment, wondering what the right answer was to the implied question. _What would Carol want? _

"Well, I guess when we tie things down here, we can see Rick about getting those shooting lessons going again if you want?" Sophia beamed at this and told me she was going to go find Carl to tell him. It was then that Andrea appeared at my cell door with an amused look on her face.

"You wanna know what Rick just asked me to do?" She asked, without a greeting. I shrugged and urged her to continue, curious about the little meeting between herself and the leader. "She wanted me to keep an eye on Shane while you guys were gone." I raised an eyebrow.

"Suppose that's a good idea since Shane's a little fucked in the head at the moment." I muttered. Andrea nodded in agreement. "You told him you would?"

"I told him I'd try." She shrugged, smiling briefly at me. "Good luck today." I nodded my thanks. "You nervous?" I almost laughed as I realised I had asked Daryl the same comment previously the day before.

"Course I ain't. Ran through that field all by myself, suppose this will be, according to Shane, a 'doddle'." I told her, hoping that she wouldn't detect my utter _lie._

* * *

Since the world went to shit, my general appearance really wasn't something I had considered. But when I found myself in an abandoned health and cosmetics store, I couldn't help but feel mildly self-conscious about my appearance.

_Is that a joke? _I thought to myself. _The dead are walking and I__'__m now concerned about how I looked? _Being alone was sure playing with my head.

Even in the world before, I hadn't been a girly one, neither was my sister. It just wasn't how we were brought up. We were die hard tomboys when we were little and you would rarely, if not _never, _find us in dresses. Though as we grew up and times arose when we _had_ to wear dresses - weddings were a nightmare - we realised that perhaps the offending clothes weren't all that bad.

We were introduced to make-up at a later stage than girls our age and were hesitant to try it. Even when I did, I rarely wore any unless it were special occasions. I wasn't one for dolling myself up, I embraced my freckles and dull coloured lips.

Hair dye, however, was a firm friend of Jessica's. While the make-up and dress world didn't attract her too much, the world of vibrant hair colours and styles certainly did. Once a friend introduced her at the age of sixteen, there was no stopping her and she even went so extreme as to dye her hair luminous green for her school prom.

She distanced herself away from the wacky colours though and when she left school and went into the hair dressing business, she refrained from colouring her hair too often and stuck to 'normal hair colours'. My parents were thankful for it, sick of seeing her with red hair one day and then rainbow the next.

I was very different and preferred my '_boring' _auburn hair.

As I was in the cosmetics store I spied some purple hair dye and smiled, thinking about how Jessica would have loved the colour in her younger days. I prowled the aisles slowly, glancing at all the products and attempted to avoid all mirrors. After a while though, I sighed and turned to face a full length mirror and observed myself.

The first thing I noticed was how thin my cheeks looked due to my rationed food intake. Overall, I looked thinner and I worried briefly about it before moving onto the state of my hair. Not having brushed it in a while, I was surprised dreads hadn't developed. My face faired no better and was littered with grime and dried blood. I looked _feral _to say the least. I glanced around the store and smiled slightly.

_I might as well take advantage of my current location. _

A couple of hours later, after finding a cold shower in one of the back rooms - _an excellent find!,_ I returned to that same full length mirror and observed myself. Hair washed and brushed. Face clean of dirt and blood and now layered with light make-up; natural looking though I had made a point to darken around my eyes. I even had a change of clothes which Laurent had provided for me on his last visit. Overall, I was quite pleased with my appearance, though wondered briefly why I had even bothered? _Who was there to impress? _

_It was the little things in life that counted now. _A voice spoke in my mind, one I suspiciously thought sounded like Merle, and I smiled in agreement.

"Kate Moss, eat your heart out." I chuckled to myself.

* * *

"We keep together." Rick murmured, his voice carrying through the darkened corridors. There was a pause as he and Daryl shone their flashlights around a corner before they led the way forward and Glenn paused to spray a clear white arrow on the wall in aid to help us find our way back.

We worked quickly, dispatching straggling walkers quietly. So far, we were lucky enough not to have come across a group of more than four yet. Though we knew we wouldn't stay very lucky for long. What surprised me the most was how the floor of the corridors had littered bodies of corpses - and not the ones that were trying to eat us. I gathered quickly that guards must have cleared these out before the outbreak and probably before the prison was overrun. I remained cautious of the bodies though, expecting any of them to jump and grab at our legs any instance.

I didn't like the darkness, the flashlights we each had provided me no comfort and I remained close to T-Dog as we followed Rick and Dark, Glenn and Maggie bringing up the rear. Barely much was spoken, only the odd comments from Rick or warning from Daryl. Otherwise we worked quietly, as were our footsteps.

Each corridor was beginning to look horribly familiar and I didn't like the groaning and moaning coming from down the next one. As soon as Rick and Daryl crept around it, they propelled themselves backwards in a rush. I saw the large group of walkers stagger after them and the rest of us wasted no time backing up quickly.

"Go back!" Rick urged, not bothering to be quiet anymore.

Glenn and Maggie now lead the way, following the white arrows back to expected safe haven. Though suddenly we rounded another corner, only to be faced with another group of walkers. Maggie gasped loudly, unfortunately getting their attention, and we were forced to make a left away from them; off the path we had made back back home.

Before we knew it, we were forced to stop running and were faced with the consequence of fighting our way down the corridors. I took out one close by with my knife, not letting myself think before taking out another. When I turned back to the others though, I realised gut-wrenchingly, that I couldn't see them. I heard their grunts and cries as they fought with the dead, but I couldn't see them amongst the darkness and the rotted bodies.

A walker attempted to grab me, but I fought it off quickly before realising I was a sitting duck with my back against the wall. I manoeuvred myself through the group of walkers and attempted to get back to the others. It only brought me to more danger and I was forced to take another corridor to safety.

Then I was running aimlessly, terrified for my life as all I could hear was groaning and snarling and the quickness of my own breath. I stopped short when I almost ran straight into another group of them and attempted to back up, only to remember I had some more following me. There wasn't another path to take now.

Suddenly though, I heard the quick sound of running and I waited for a moment as I heard them approach me. Then a single figure appeared around the corner. I shone a flashlight in their face to see who they were. _Maggie. _I smiled slightly at the girl.

"Quickly, we need to move!" She cried. I glanced around, before spying a pair of double doors and grabbed Maggie's arm.

"In here." I urged. Together we undid the half-heartedly tied rope on the handles (_curious?_) and threw ourselves inside. Once inside, we wasted no time using Maggie's metal pipe as a substitute lock, securing ourselves inside. There was a muffled sound of moans and stumbling beyond the double doors, but no banging and rattling hit the door. _We were undiscovered. _

"Thank God." Maggie murmured, glancing around. I turned around too and noticed we were in a cafeteria of some description. The tables and chairs were ransacked and broken about the room. To the left was a large hatch, shutters on them and a door beside them that must have led inside.

"Looks like we found a canteen." I muttered, glancing at the girl beside me. She in turn, turned back to look at the double doors. "The others, what happened to them?"

"I don't know." She told me. "I can't really remember what happened, I just remember that I got separated." I nodded.

"Me too." I sighed. "They'll be fine." I quickly reassured her, _reassured myself. _"If we're alright, then they no doubt are fine. Probably locked themselves in the infirmary." Maggie chuckled a little and I saw her posture soften slightly. _Only slightly. _

I had no time to say anything else that could possibly comfort either of us as a noise suddenly came from the direction of the kitchen. Maggie and I rounded on the noise in an instant, guns raised defiantly. I led the way towards the door and hesitated once I reached it. I glanced back at my companion, eyed her evenly before nodding once. After a silent count down I opened the door slowly, my gun raised before me.

What I found, surprised me, and I stepped further into the room to let Maggie join my side. Once her eyes spotted what I was seeing, I noticed her gun flatter a little. I was lost for words, truly lost for words.

_People. _Prisoners to be exact, judging by their dull blue jumpsuits. And they weren't trying to eat us either. Instead they were sat around a table, their attention focused on the pair of us, their expressions equally as confused as Maggie and I were feeling.

There were four of them in total, four men. Two had dark skin, and varied considerably in height. Even sat down, one was evidently a very large man, larger than T-Dog for sure, both in height and muscle. The other looked quite young and almost scrawny looking. Beside the scrawny kid was an older bearded man with a kind face. His eyes darted nervously between Maggie and I and I saw him visibly gulp when I met his gaze. The remaining member of the foursome was almost Spanish looking with dark hair and a thin moustache. When I met his gaze, I didn't like the look he had in his eyes and I felt nervous when he didn't look away.

"Who the_ fuck_ are you?" Maggie demanded after a while, breaking the silence. The prisoners glanced at each other.

"Ain't language a lady like yourself should be using." The dark haired man spoke slowly, standing to his feet and holding his hands up. "We don't mean any harm." His eyes darted between us.

"How'd you get in here?" The scrawny kid asked - _demanded_ was more fitting.

"Better question; why aren't you trying to eat us?" I muttered. The question made the prisoners laugh and Maggie and I quickly shared a nervous look as they were occupied.

"_Eat_ you?" The first man asked. "What you talking about, chica?" I narrowed my eyes at the man when he tried to step closer. The raising of my gun stopped him in his tracks when I aimed my weapon at his head. "Alright, let's take a step back. What's your names?" I glanced at Maggie.

"You first." She muttered.

"Fine, name's Thomas." The 'leader' spoke up. "This is Andrew," He nodded to the scrawny kid. "Axel," The bearded man. "And Big Tiny." The remaining - larger - prisoner.

"Big Tiny?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow. The man himself shrugged.

"Actual name's Dexter. Nickname stuck." He admitted. I narrowed my eyes.

"Your turn, chicas." Thomas urged. Just then a loud noise caught our attention, coming from the double doors.

"Maggie! Ruby!" It sounded distinctively like Rick's voice.

Almost forgetting the prisoners instantly, Maggie and I left them in the kitchens and darted towards the double doors. We removed Maggie's pipe and flung the doors open. The four men all but fell in, taking lead in slamming the doors shut behind themselves and throwing their weight against it. Maggie's pipe was returned back to secure the door and T-Dog quickly made work of securing it some more.

Once the door was secured, Maggie flung herself at Glenn, holding him close to her and almost sobbing into his shoulder. His arm was bleeding extensively, but Glenn quickly assured us that it wasn't a bite or a scratch from a walker. He caught himself when running away and Maggie commented that we needed to get him back to Herschel to look him over, just to be safe. The others agreed.

"Are you both alright?" Rick asked, glancing between us. I nodded for us both before remembering the prisoners.

"Rick, there's something you're gonna want to see." As if on cue, the four prisoners emerged from the kitchen surveying the situation before them. The men of our group wasted no time aiming their weapons on the prisoners and Rick glanced at me. "This is it." I muttered, shrugging. He turned his gaze back to the prisoners, his pistol trained defiantly.

"Oh my God!" Axel cried, almost grinning. "There's more of ya!" Thomas silenced his fellow inmate with a look before turning to face us.

"You didn't tell us you had friends, chicas." He muttered, eyes darting between Maggie and I. I saw the looks on the men's faces darken considerably at the comment. "How did you find us?"

"Are you the rescue group?" Andrew asked, glancing awkwardly at each of us in turn.

"You don't look like much of a rescue group." Thomas muttered, his eyes trained on Rick. Our leader glanced at Daryl and the pair shared a look. "Well?"

"How long have you been in here?" Glenn asked quietly. The group of prisoners glanced at him.

"You mean in prison or in this room, boy?" Big Tiny asked, sniggering slightly. Thomas and Andrew smirked too. Glenn's eyes narrowed.

"In _here_." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"We got shoved in here by a prison guard and got told he'd come back and get us once everything was safe." Axel went on to tell us. "That was months ago."

"I reckon about six or seven months ago." Big Tiny added. We shared a look amongst the six of us. "What's going on?"

"You not hear about the outbreak?" T-Dog asked. Thomas scoffed.

"Don't hear a lot when your locked inside." He muttered.

"Shouldn't have committed the crime then." Maggie resorted, earning herself a few glares.

"What are you in here for?" Rick demanded quickly. The prisoners glanced at him in confusion.

"We just told you, the guard-"

"_Prison. _Why are you in _prison?_" Rick quickly clarified, his eyes darkening. Looks were shared amongst the prisoners and there was silence as we waited for them to reply.

"How'd you know we're inmates? Could be guards." Andrew muttered, smirking.

"Jumpsuits are a giveaway." Daryl replied, his crossbow never wavering when the kid sent him a dark glare. There was another brief moment of silence as the prisoners contemplated the question. I glanced at Rick and saw his expression defiant. _He meant business. _

"Dealing narcotics." Axel admitted finally, looking sheepish. He awkwardly folded his arms across his chest and I observed the man. Despite feeling a mystery about the prisoners, Axel was the one who appeared most trust-worthy. If only by a _little. _

"Breaking and entering." Andrew continued.

"Fraud." Thomas muttered. There was something in his voice that made me adamant to distrust every word that left the man's mouth. When I met Daryl's gaze, I knew he felt the same way.

"Murder." Big Tony finished, leaving us all partially stunned. I didn't fail to notice Rick's pistol was now aimed closer to the large man. Big Tony must have noticed this too and scoffed. "I've only killed twice." He shrugged like it was nothing and I raised an eyebrow at this. "And the only reason you'll need to worry is if you're my wife or the bastard that fucked her." There was another moment of silence. "No one gotta worry about them anymore though." The prisoners, but Axel, all laughed.

"Interesting." Rick muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Well, gentleman, you should get out more because you're missing a hell of a lot." Thomas glared at Rick's throw away tone.

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly. "What the hell is going on here?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Rick muttered, lowering his gun and striding forcefully over to the door. "We gotta get back to the others." He then continued, directed now at us. He and T-Dog quickly got rid of the barricade on the door while the rest of us kept our focus on the prisoners.

"What are you doing?" Thomas demanded. Rick threw Maggie her metal pipe and we gathered around the door.

"Don't let them bite or scratch you." Rick threw over his shoulder toward the inmates.

"Don't let _who _bite or scratch us?" Axel asked warily. Rick ignored him and turned back to the rest of us.

"You ready?" When we all confirmed so, he and T-Dog flung open the double doors.

A small group of walkers were gathered at the door and lunged as soon as the doors no longer stood in their way. They fell easily and soon the six of us were back to running down the darkened corridors, finding the arrows again and following them back to Cell Block C - our home.

The sounds of extra footsteps were evident behind us, perhaps a little distance back. _The prisoners were following us. _Surely Rick expected this? I didn't know what would happen now, it was clear we couldn't trust them. But I suppose that would be a problem that could wait until we reached the safety of the cell block.

* * *

Sometimes instead of dreaming, I would relive memories. Some memories before the outbreak, when things were so blissful and easy, and some during past occurrences during the _zombie apocalypse _and the new world.

Some were with Merle and Michonne, unsurprisingly. It had become a habit that my thoughts would wonder back to them. It had learnt to accept it now rather than try ignore them.

I thought of times when we'd hold up at night in some abandoned and reasonably safe location. We'd bicker, banter, fight. I couldn't count the numerous times I had had to stand between Merle and Michonne when things got heated. We were so unbelievably dysfunctional and yet it worked. _We worked. _

As a team, we were strong. And no matter how many harsh words we threw at each other, nothing counted when one of us were in trouble. It reminded me of a family; a completely _fucked _family who were in denial about their progressive bonding. But a once _united_ family nonetheless.

* * *

Once we made it to our cell block, Rick turned sour and hard.

"Glenn, Maggie with me." He snarled. "You three stay here, watch that door." He pointed the door we had just come from, that lead to the rest of the prison, and no doubt the inmates would come through any minute.

Glenn and Maggie followed Rick obediently as they ushered everyone into the cell block. Rick's voice grew distant as he explained the situation and Glenn was probably taken to be treated for his wound. Daryl had his crossbow trained at the door and T-Dog quickly raised his own gun in succession. I put away my knife before joining the two men and pulling out my gun.

"We gonna shoot them?" I murmured to them both.

"If they give us reason to." Daryl muttered back.

The three of us waited silently, listening to the concord of sounds from the others and the sounds of footsteps closing in on our cell block. Neither of us were surprised when the inmates finally pushed open the door, Thomas leading the four of them.

"Wanna shut that behind you?" T-Dog called, gesturing to the door. "We don't fancy entertaining walkers any time soon." Axel quickly obliged.

"Walkers?" Andrew asked. "Is that what those things were?" I watched as Thomas's eyes darted between the three of us, sizing us up. I tried to remain neutral as his eyes passed over me, lingering longer than I wanted them to. I had been used to _those _kind of looks in my previous group - _and that didn't turn out well. _

"Never got your name, chica." He pointed out with a sly grin. Both T-Dog's and Daryl's weapons were trained on him in an instant when Thomas stepped towards me. I merely raised an eyebrow when he raised his hands, a sign of peace, and chuckled a little. "I meant no harm, gentleman." His eyes returned to me. "Been a long time this we men have seen a lady. I'm kinda rusty when it comes to talking to you." I narrowed my eyes and T-Dog scoffed.

"You'll step away if ya know what's good for ya." Daryl muttered, his aim never wavering. Thomas rounded on him with a sneer.

"Getting protective, are we?" He sniggered. Their attention was caught when Rick's voice echoed down to us. The four of them turned into the direction of the rest of the cell block and I made a point of standing in their view of the door. "What you got back there?" He jutted his chin in the direction of the door. "There more of you?"

"Ain't any of ya business." Daryl replied.

"Look, buddy, we'd like the know what the fuck is going on around here!" Andrew cried. "What the hell were those 'walkers'? Where are the rest of the inmates?"

"Those walkers _are_ the rest of the inmates." T-Dog told him coolly. "World's a whole lot different since you saw it six months ago, _buddy._" Andrew glared at the man and I glanced awkwardly between the men.

"Gentlemen, lady, could we discuss this without havin' those weapons pointin' at us?" Axel pleaded, his eyes nervous. "We don't mean no harm, we just wanna know what's goin' on."

"You'll excuse us if we don't trust a bunch of _criminals._" I muttered.

"She speaks." Thomas smirked and I grimaced as his eyes racked up and down my body. _Sickening. _"I wouldn't mind being locked in a cell with _you_ that's for sure, _chica_." Really?

"Son of a-" Without warning, Daryl had butted Thomas heavily across the head with his crossbow, causing the inmate to fall to the floor. He was soon on his feet though, with a gun - that he had apparently produced from thin air - and pointed it in Daryl's direction.

"Put the gun down!" T-Dog cried, stepping forward, training his gun trained at Thomas's head, the inmate with his pointing at Daryl. Daryl in turn directed his crossbow back and the pair stared each other down, dark expressions on each of their faces.

I remained focused on the other prisoners, stepping forward when Andrew tried to intervene and pointing my gun at him. I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to step away, he obliged and I kept my eyes on the three prisoners as T-Dog and Daryl argued with Thomas.

Due to the commotion, we must have caught the others attention as suddenly Rick appeared, Shane in tow.

"You lower your weapon _now._" Rick hissed, directed at Thomas. The man glanced at the ex-cop before sneering once more at Daryl before lowering his gun.

"You had guns on us, only fair." Thomas evened. Rick chuckled without humour.

"_Fair _isn't exactly what the world is anymore and you better get used to it because things are gonna change around here."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Well, here's the next installment. I'm not too happy about the meeting of the prisoners - I feel it's too like the show, despite me trying to switch it up a bit. For starters, I didn't want to have Herschel get bitten as I think we've got a lot more ground to cover before THAT issue arises. Hopefully you all agree? And as you've probably realised I changed the prisoners around a bit. _

_I've gotten rid of Oscar, not that I have any vendetta against him or anything, I just feel like he won't fit in with my story. He isn't canon to the comics anyway so I've not gone totally off course, have no fear! Axel and Andrew - I've kept them similiar to those in the TV series as I prefer them than they are in the comics, Axel especially. Big Tiny (Dexter) is going to be more like his character in the comics as I prefer the 'hardened' version to that of the TV show. And finally, Thomas, well, he certainly is an interesting character. He'll be a mixture I think. Looks wise, I've described him as he looks in the TV show, but I think I may add a few comic influences for his character. It won't just be basic black and white with him, I don't think. Hopefully it'll turn out alright with my portrayal of him. Like I said, he won't just be a straight up copy from the show/comics - he'll be a mixture of the two. I want to develop the prisoners storyline more if I can as I feel the show hasn't done enough with them. Hopefully you're all happy with the outcome of the prisoners? :P _

_Big thanks to all those who have reviewed, it really mean a lot! I'd love to know what you think about this chapter. Again, I'm not having such great feelings about this chapter so I'd like to know how it whent. Did you enjoy it? Was it too like the show? Please leave a comment and I'll have an update up ASAP :) _


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

_Chapter Twenty Five_

I observed from the sidelines as the men talked things out. My presence wasn't needed so much anymore but as I hadn't been told otherwise, I remained as I was. Part of me wondered if I should go and see if Glenn was alright, but I reminded myself that Herschel was with him and was the best care he could get. Plus I didn't think I would be much help. Going to check on Sophia was another thought that crossed my mind, but again I didn't want to leave uncase Rick needed me to stay. And the girl probably knew I was fine anyway and needn't be worried.

Rick decided that we would take the prisoners outside, see things for themselves. _As if running through pitch black corridors, chased by their dead inmates wasn__'__t enough. _I was given no orders to leave but lingered as T-Dog lead the way and as Daryl and Rick kept the prisoners in line. It was Shane that urged me to join them, bringing up the rear with him, with a jilt of his head. I nodded once in return, though was surprised when it appeared Shane insisted on walking beside me. It didn't take too long for me to work out Shane only wanted to walk beside me to bombard me with questions.

"So?" He muttered, drawing his pace back a little so the others wouldn't hear him. I felt obliged to even his strides and we fell back from the group, though our eyes remained trained on the prisoners - Thomas' and Daryl's confrontation had certainly set us on edge.

"So _what_?" I asked in return.

"So, what the hell happened? Why the hell we playin' prison guards?" I exhaled deeply through my nose and quickly recounted the meeting of the prisoners to Shane. He listened silently and when I glanced up at him, his eyebrows are burrowed in irritation. "You just found 'em locked up in a cafeteria?" I shrugged.

"Pretty much. Axel told us that the guards had locked them in there during the outbreak; probably to keep them safe. Obviously the guards didn't make it so they've been stuck there ever since."

"_Axel?_" Shane snorted. "You gettin' friendly with them now?" I rolled my eyes and didn't even grace his question with an answer. It didn't appear Shane expected one. "I don't trust them." It was now my turn to snort.

"You don't trust _anyone.__" _I told him. "Pretty sure you've still got trust issues with _me_." Shane was silent for a long time.

"Rick's gonna go soft." He carried on, ignoring my comment. "What we gotta do is unlock those gates and send 'em on their merry way. They can _not_ stay here."

"Technically, they were here first." I pointed out, irreverently.

"Finders keepers." Shane muttered.

The creaking of a door being opened cut through the conversation as T-Dog opened the large metal doorway out into the yard. Light blinded my eyes for a moment, but I adjusted quickly and followed the group out into the yard. Shane secured the door behind us and we all stood back as the prisoners explored the yard, relishing in the outside air. It was disconcerning that they didn't appear to notice their _dead _fellow prisoners littering the yard. It was Axel who lingered close to us, his eyes drifting amongst the dead, a solemn and almost terrified expression on his face.

"Did you do this?" Thomas asked, gesturing to the numerous bodies. Rick merely raised an eyebrow in response and Thomas whistled loudly.

"A lotta bodies." Big Tiny noted, sharing a look with Andrew. "Must of taken a lot of you to take them all down." A pause of silence. "How many of you are there?"

"Enough." Rick replied, shortly. His tone was guarded, as was his expression. I caught the way his eyes darted between each of the prisoners with uncertainty. I knew he was wary of trusting them but I didn't know if his distrust stretched as far as Shane's. _I didn__'__t expect so. _Shane's distrust was on a whole other world to everyone elses.

"Hey, we mean no harm!" Thomas tried, attempting to smile good-heartedly. "We've been locked away for so long, we don't know what's happening outside. That ain't our fault. And I know we've committed crimes, but that's all in the past now." He paused, glancing between us. "We're _good_ people."

"Explain why you had a gun on my man then?" Rick challenged, eyes wandering to the firearm at the inmates waist. Thomas snorted, eyeing up Daryl cautiously.

"You had guns on us, remember?" He reminded. "_Your _man bashed me around the head, _I _was just defending myself."

"You obviously gave him reason to react like that." Rick muttered. Thomas's eyes briefly passed over me before he turned his full attention back to Rick.

"So, what do you intend to do with us?" His question sent Rick silent for a moment and I saw Shane turn to his friend with a hardened expression. Rick's expression, however, had softened and for the first time during this exchange he looked unsure.

"I haven't decided yet." Rick confessed finally. Andrew snorted.

"_Haven__'__t decided? _Buddy, we don't have to do what you want-" Andrew was cut off when Thomas shot him a dark look.

"We ain't exactly in the position to be making those kinda decisions, man." Big Tiny muttered to the shorter man. Axel remained silent, arms folded across his chest, his expression increasingly awkward.

"And what are your options?" Thomas challenged quietly. "You goin' to throw us out? Let us out in the big wide world after all _you__'__ve _told us?" Rick remained silent, not lowering his gaze as Thomas stared back defiantly. "Like I said, we're good people."

"We can help you." Axel continued, almost pleaded. "Help with gettin' rid of those things. We can help look after your people; you can't let us go out there!" Shane snorted.

"We can do whatever we please; _we _hold the power right now." Shane muttered. "So, don't get too comfy-"

"Shane." Rick cut his friend off with a single word and a look. The pair observed each silently, communicating without words. The rest of us remained in waiting, to see what the pair would do. Finally, Rick broke away from the stare and back to the prisoners, his face softer than before. "You're gonna have to let us discuss this before any decision can be made-"

"We can show you to the kitchens." Axel cut in. "There's lots of food that you can take for your group. And an infirmary - sure it got plenty of medicine. And Block A will be bound to have plenty more weapons in-"

"Shut up." Thomas hissed, silencing the man.

"Stop the begging, man." Big Tiny sighed, folding his large arms across his chest. "We ain't gonna stoop that low." Judging by Axel's face he was more than happy to.

There was a long moment's silence as Rick's eyes scanned the prisoners, his face thoughtful. You could practically hear his brain tinkering through the prospects of letting them stay with us or not - ideas being thrown here and there as he tried to figure out a suitable outcome to this _issue. _I gazed at the prisoners too, taking in their appearance and wondering what I'd do if _I _was leader and had to make that decision.

"Rick?!" Shane hissed suddenly, breaking the silence. He looked positively fuming, whilst Rick just looked confused by his partner's anger. Shane turned to the four prisoners. "Amuse yourselves for a moment? Gotta talk things out." He didn't even wait for a reply from them before he had marched away, beckoning us to follow.

We followed Shane and formed a small group, eyes glancing towards the prisoners warily as the continued to survey the courtyard, chatting quietly to each other. Our attention was on Shane as he seemed more than happy to lead the discussion.

"What the hell, man?" He demanded. Rick raised an eyebrow and Shane pointed arrogantly towards the prisoners. "You're actually considering lettin' them in?" Rick paused and sighed.

"Shane, we can't just throw them out-"

"Why the hell not?!" Shane looked positively seething. "Man, these are the kinda people you and I used to help put away. You think I'm just gonna be content _sleeping _next to these people? And what about Carl and Lori? You're gonna willingly take a group of _criminals _into the cell block to them?"

"It's not about them being criminals, Shane!" Rick hissed. "They're _people _too. You can't really expect they'd survive out there if we made them leave."

"Why not?" Shane snorted. "_We _did."

"But we didn't have _this _kind of opportunity!" Rick cried, silencing his friend. "Just because the world's changed, doesn't mean our morals have too." Shane's eyes narrowed and he remained silent for a long time. Rick glanced at the rest of us. "What about you three?" T-Dog shrugged, glancing towards the four inmates.

"They'd give the group extra muscle that's for sure." He mused. "Muscle we _need_. I reckon we should give them a chance; said they'd show us where the infirmary and kitchens are. They could help us clear out the rest of the prison. Having four extra pair of hands on board sounds quite inviting."

"Not when those hands might pull a gun on ya." Daryl muttered, earning a raised eyebrow from T-Dog. "I don't trust 'em either, Rick." His eyes seemed more trained on Thomas as he said that. "Shane's right; they're criminals. One of 'em is in 'ere for murder, that doesn't exactly scream invitin'."

"People can change though." I reminded him. "Your brother may be a prime example of that." Daryl's eyes narrowed as he gazed at me. I swallowed hard and continued. "Plus _he _could have been in the same position as them. Would you want someone to sell him short like this?"

"Ain't Merle; ain't my problem." Was Daryl's short answer and I frowned at the man.

"What are you thinking, Rick?" T-Dog asked, folding his arms across his chest. Rick sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I want to give them a chance." Rick began, Shane snorted. "We can keep watch on them, give them chances to redeem themselves. T-Dog's right, they can show us the infirmary and kitchens as well as other cell blocks."

"And if they pull a gun on us and some of us get hurt?" Shane hissed. Rick stared evenly back at his friend.

"Then I know what needs to be done." Rick muttered. "But we can't speculate things they may do before we even give them a chance. _Everyone deserves a chance.__"_

"Still don't trust them." Daryl breathed, staring down at the ground and looking thoroughly disheartened by the decision. "But I'll stand by ya if you reckon it's the best thing to do." Rick smiled warmly at the hunter and Daryl managed a ghost of one in return.

"I think you're fuckin' crazy." Shane sneered, though Rick ignored him. I glanced back at the prisoners, eyes meeting Thomas's briefly and I decided then that I didn't like _him _one bit. There was something in his eyes that just screamed suspicious and I knew that things wouldn't be so easy from now on.

_Not that we__'__d been living in paradise anyway._

* * *

"Do you have a heading?" Laurent asked me. I raised an eyebrow. "Have you planned on going anywhere specifically or are you hoping to come across somewhere safe?" I snorted.

"Hell, I don't even know where I am _now._" I told him with a shrug. "Guess I'm just surviving, hoping that something good will come my way." Laurent frowned slightly.

"It's not really safe for you on your own."

"I've managed this far, haven't I?" I narrowed my eyes, not liking his tone.

"You could always come back?" I laughed dryly.

"Yes, because I'd be welcomed with open arms." I muttered. Laurent thought for a moment, his face pensive.

"I could talk to the Governor? See if he'd be willing if you make an apology-"

"Are you serious?" I cried. "There's a reason I left you guys! I can assure you, I have no intention of going back!" Laurent then narrowed his eyes at me.

"I wouldn't sell us out so quickly, Ruby. I don't think you should hold out on that 'good thing' that will be 'coming your way' because you might find yourself disappointed" His tone was deadly serious and I couldn't help but snort at his comments.

"And _I _don't think you should hold out on me coming back to you guys any time soon either." I replied shortly.

* * *

It had been a few weeks - _perhaps a month or so? - _now since we had come across the prison. We had developed routines and habits now, some people were starting to call this place a home. Things were certainly looking up for us now.

With the aid of the inmates, we had delved into the food supply from the kitchens the prisoners were holding out in. It had enough food to last us a long time and we knew there was bound to be more kitchens to find inside the prison. We had found a small infirmary, though we only provided minimal things as it seemed it had been overrun in the outbreak and wasn't in the best of states. Our plan to clear out more of the prison was gradual but that was what Rick wanted. He didn't want us to attack to the prison at full force and said that little parts at a time was good. It seemed to be working so far and the only injuries that had been sustained was that from Glenn on the first run out into the prison.

What still hung over us though was the suspicion of the prisoners.

When they were first introduced to the rest of the group, I could see the expressions amongst the others. _They didn__'__t like it. _

The four inmates were watched over nearly all of the time and we took it in turns on who was watching over them - usually pairing up when we did. They all slept on the ground floor of the cell block, in their own cells, so whoever was on watch during the night had the greater task of watching the doors _and _the prisoners.

In their defence, they had pulled their weight. After establishing _how_ to take down walkers, the provided admiral 'muscle power' as T-Dog described it. Rick had banned their brandishing of weapons _unless_ it was to leave the secure zones of the prison and enter the rest of it to help clear it out. They seemed fairly calm about this decision, though Thomas was very adamant to give up his gun initially.

Thomas was most definitely the highest point of suspicion. I had overheard Lori and Maggie discussing him once and how uncomfortable they felt by his stares and words. I had to agree, though from my past experience I was much more immune to his looks and comments, which is more than I could say for the other women.

Despite the setback of the wary prisoners however, things were certainly running well. Rick had brought back the shooting practise and I had offered Sophia up upon her request. Lori was very uneasy when Carl asked to join too and had given in after Shane and Rick put the pressure on her. I could still see in her eyes that she didn't like the gun that was permanently attached to her son's belt now but she held her tongue.

While others seemed more concerned about the prisoner's presence, I guess what _I _was more concerned about was the growing tension between Rick and Shane. I was unsure if anyone had noticed it yet, but from observation I could see something was brewing between the pair of them. Just from the looks they gave one and other as well as the harsh comments back and forth was enough to alert me that they were heading for a collision. One that I was sure would _not_ be pretty.

"Ya girl is shootin' pretty good." A voice arose from seemingly nowhere.

Currently everyone was outside in either the grass compound or the yard of the prison. Shooting practise was on and people were either learning or observing from the sidelines. Plus it was a surprisingly sunny day which no one appeared to want to waste. The mood was so calm and chilled for once; _God knows we needed a blissful day like this. _

I was sat on the grass, Toby beside me. Glancing up, I saw Axel stood over me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jumpsuit. I quickly remembered his comment and glanced towards where Rick was adjusting Sophia's aim.

"She isn't mine." I muttered, before smiling slightly at the man. He shuffled uncomfortably.

"You 'er sister then?" He asked.

"Nope." I grinned at the man's awkwardness, accustomed to his nature. Axel had firmly gained my trust over the past month. I had realised quickly that the man had nothing to fear and seemed to only want to help. I had noticed others realised this too and he was probably the only one of the prisoners who wasn't regarded with suspicion anymore. "She lost her family, as have I. So, I took her in."

"Sorry to hear that." Axel said. "Can't say I know what's happened to mine." I felt saddened a little by the comment and frowned. "She's lucky to have you." I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're doing right by her." I laughed a little.

"Quite a bold statement." I muttered. Axel shrugged.

"Only state what I see." There was a moment of silence as the pair of us contemplated what each other had said. I mused to myself, staring at Sophia and thinking about how far the pair of us had come together.

_Sophia was strong, _stronger than a lot of people in the group. How she had managed to hold herself together after what had happened to her mother was beyond me, and yet I remembered that _I _was the same too. I didn't cry for quite some time until one day the impact of my parent's deaths hit me and I let it all out in one go. I wondered if that's where Sophia was heading; for one big breakdown. I would hear her sometimes talking to herself and when I listened carefully I realised she was talking to Carol through prayers. _I didn__'__t even know she was religious. _I guessed that was what was keeping her strong, knowing that her mother was in a better place. _Heaven. _I honestly had to admire her.

"Guess it was pretty lucky you guys came across this place, huh?" Axel continued. I glanced up at him and then back at Sophia. "Pretty lucky for us, I'd say; would have been stuck in those kitchens for a long time without ya help."

"Plenty of food." I pointed out, smiling slightly. He chuckled and glanced down at me.

"Not great company though." He replied.

My eyes were then drawn to his fellow inmates. Thomas and Andrew were stood together, observing the shooting practise and talking quietly with each other. Their eyes darted amongst the group and I waited until they passed by Axel and myself to meet their gaze. Thomas almost sneered before waving sarcastically at us. I narrowed my eyes and didn't respond. This only made them snigger and their attention was averted again. I frowned thoughtfully.

"What's his deal?" I asked, eyes still on Thomas and Andrew. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Axel shift on his feet. "He always been an ass?" Axel chuckled.

"Before all this happened, I didn't really know any of these guys. They were in my cell block, but I avoided them." Axel admitted, shrugging when I glanced up at him. "Avoided _everyone _to be honest." I watched his face fall slightly as he stared off in wonder. There was silence for a moment and I bit my lip a little.

"So, dealing narcotics, huh?" I teased lightly. Axel laughed and shrugged, glancing down at me.

"What can I say? He muttered, smiling. He opened his mouth to say something though closed it immediately, his eyes trained on something. I followed Axel's gaze and saw Daryl making his way towards us. Axel tensed up and turned to me. "See you later." Without waiting for a reply, Axel shuffled away, his head bowed as Daryl passed by, the latter eyeing him up dangerously.

"What he want?" Daryl practically demanded when he reached me, staring down almost accusingly at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Just chatting." I told him. Daryl didn't seem to like my answer and studied me for a moment before glancing over his shoulders towards where Axel had found himself beside Big Tiny. "There a problem with that?" Daryl's head turned to me in an instant and his gaze was hard.

"Don't get too friendly; they ain't _our _people." Daryl said, firmly. I sighed, knowing that Daryl had hated Rick's decision to let them stay from the very start and hadn't even bothered hiding it. _Especially to me_. He seemed to hound me constantly whenever I even spoke two words to one of them. It was safe to say I was getting sick of it now.

"Axel's nice enough. I'm not going to be rude just because you want me to. Just because they're not 'our people' doesn't mean they're not _people.__" _I practically snapped at the man. I was surprised by my tone but put it down to the exhaustion of defending my same argument against Daryl over the past month. Daryl seemed just as much surprised and raised an eyebrow before glaring at me.

"They're criminals-"

"Just like your brother?" I cut in, shortly. _Silence. _Daryl and I regarded each other, the former fuming. I didn't shy away though. "I didn't sell Merle short even after all the rude and obnoxious comments he said to me. I could have easily left him behind in that camp to become _dinner _for those freaks. _But I didn__'__t. _I gave him a chance and it paid off, why are _they_ any different?"

"You didn't know Merle had been to prison until _I _told you. We know these people have committed crimes, one of 'em has murdered for Christ sake-"

"And the rest of us haven't?" I demanded, pointing towards a small gathering of walkers at the fence. "Killing is a big part of our day remember!"

"Killing a _walker_ is different than killing a _human.__"_ Daryl snarled, crouching down in front of me, his face dangerous. I was surprised how calm I was now; weeks ago I would have cowered away from the hunter.

"Not all of them are in for murder." I pointed out, not letting go. Daryl snorted. "Andrew is in for breaking and entering, Thomas for fraud, Axel for dealing-"

"You don't get it do ya?" Daryl cried, gathering more attention than I wanted. I glanced around, noticing how the group were glancing in our direction now. Daryl ignored them or either didn't care. "I don't _trust _them-"

"So that means _I _have to agree with your opinion?" I hissed. Daryl's face was blaring. "I'm not _you__'__re _problem, let me think for myself."

"'Nd who do ya reckon is gonna save ya ass when ya overly kind attitude towards 'em turns 'round and blows up in ya face?" I shook my head, hauling myself to my feet.

"I don't need _you _to save me, Daryl." I shouted, making leave. Daryl's hand grabbed my arm before I could take two steps away and spun me to face him again. Without thinking, I yanked my arm out of his grip and shoved hard against Daryl's chest, causing him to stumble back a little. Taking the opportunity I quickly walked away, ignoring the stares and calls of my name.

I marched towards the door into the prison, heaved it open and enter the dark corridor without even a glance back. If I wasn't so angry, I probably would have been terrified to make my way back to the cell block alone and in the dark. But the furious mood Daryl had put me in overruled any fear for walkers and I made it to the empty cell block without even thinking to take out my gun. I was lying face up in my cell in a second and my harsh breaths rang out. I frowned to myself.

_What the fuck just happened? _

I felt embarrassed for my outburst as I thought the argument over. What Daryl had said made sense, but I didn't like how he ordered me. I guess that was what made me snap. _I__'__m far too trusting. _Which surprised me considering all the trust issues I had before I encountered this group. Perhaps my guard had been dropped since being welcomed into Sophia's group and had been extended towards the prisoners now. Whether that would be a sensible thing was undecided - Daryl certainly didn't think so.

_And why did he care anyway? _

"'_Nd who do ya reckon is gonna save ya ass when ya overly kind attitude towards __'__em turns __'__round and blows up in ya face?"_

Since when was I so dependent on him saving my ass? Since when was I so dependent on him _full stop? _

He cared about the group, though he didn't want to admit it. I knew he did and I also knew he would stick his neck out for everyone if he had to. And apparently _I _was getting the full force of his unintentional caring, though surely he must be like this with everyone else? _Though I hadn__'__t seen him talk to anyone else about this. _

_Why was _I _so concerned? _

I had had arguments with others in the group, there had also been plenty of other heated bust ups too (Rick and Shane being a prime example). Each time they had been sorted out, after maybe a bit of time away from each other, or after talking it out.

But I was _worried_. Worried that Daryl would take the argument - small as it was - to heart. Worried that he'd remain angry at me. Worried that he'd never talk to me again. _But why? _Why was I so concerned?

I remained in my cell even after the sounds of the others coming back caught my ears. I couldn't make out conversation, but heard the distant chatter of the rest. Dinner was being prepared when Sophia peeked her head around the cell door with a sheepish smile.

"How'd you do out there?" I asked, sitting up and smiling at the girl. Sophia took hold of my brighter mood and proceeded to tell me how she'd done at her shooting lesson.

"Rick says I've improved a lot." She gushed. "My aim is getting better." I smiled, almost proudly.

"Sorry I couldn't stay and watch." I told her, bowing my head a little. Sophia smiled slightly.

"It's alright. Daryl shouldn't have been mean." She shrugged. I raised an eyebrow at this, confused at her assumption. She took in my confused expression though quickly changed the subject onto how she had beaten Carl at target practise before I could question her on it.

* * *

What would have aided me a lot now I was on my own was if I was able to hotwire vehicles.

I had seen Michonne do it plenty of times when I was with her and Merle, but never had thought to ask her to teach me. _I__'__d always assume we__'__d stay together and I wouldn__'__t need to learn. _What a stupid mistake on my behalf.

I came across a nice looking truck one day - I didn't know what was my attraction to trucks, but they seem to be the vehicle of choice during this apocalypse. After making sure it was empty, I hoped into the front and attempted to find it's keys. Of course things wouldn't be so easy and after checking the glove compartment and the sun visors, I established the keys were probably in it's owners pocket - who was probably staggering about somewhere trying to find some human flesh to eat.

With a sigh of frustration, I began to pull at the wires underneath the wheel, not really sure what I was trying to do. I recalled all memories I could of Michonne doing this, but failed quite terribly.

Toby remained outside the truck and suddenly began to bark profoundly, alerting my attention. I looked through the windscreen and saw a group of about half a dozen staggering towards me. They were quite a distance away, though I knew I wasn't going to have much luck with the truck.

"Fuck this." I hissed, heaving myself out of the cab and hitching my bag over my back again. "C'mon." I muttered, heeding for the dog to follow me before I jogged away, in the opposite direction of the group. _No point wasting energy on them when they were so far away. _

I cursed myself for not starting the truck as Toby and I jogged into the cover of a forest, and couldn't contain the sigh of frustration when the heavens opened up and poured buckets of water down upon us. _It would be my luck that it would start to rain. _

"That truck would have kept us dry." I muttered, my clothes already thoroughly soaked. _Today was not a good day._

* * *

I was surprised how less awkward dinner was than I assumed. Sophia lead the way to where we normally ate and took a seat beside Carl, and I sat opposite her beside Lori. I accepted my plate from Herschel with a smile and glanced around, assuming to get some looks from the others. What I got was smiles from those whose eyes I met, which was comforting to say the least. Rick went out of his way to tell me about how much improvement Sophia had made since she first began to learn how to shoot, not even mentioning my departure early on that day.

"She's a little feisty one." Shane grinned. "Her and Carl will be lethal with a gun when they get enough practise." Sophia beamed and her and Carl shared a look of triumph.

"Will we be able to come on runs into the prison soon, Dad?" Carl asked, looking to Rick for acceptance. Lori and Rick shared an amused look.

"Give it time, baby." Lori told her son. Carl seemed pleased with his answer enough and went back to eating his food happily.

Daryl had seated himself beside T-Dog at dinner and appeared to have his eyes fixed on his plate throughout the entire meal. He made no contributions to conversation and I felt my heart sink a little as his down set expression. _Had I done that to him? _

When dinner had finished, routines were in place. Things were cleaned up and people chatted amongst each other before some announcing they were heading off to bed.

"I was thinking of posting someone on watch in one of the guard towers from now on, as well as someone keeping watch in here." Rick piped up quickly while everyone was together. "Obviously there's things we haven't discussed, but I think I should bring it to everyone's attention that there was a reason why we left Herschel's farm in the first place." _How could we forget? _"So, I think someone on watch outside would be beneficial-"

"What do we do if we see something?" Andrea asked, lightly. "Not really practical for us to sprint back to the cell block to tell everyone." She had a point and Rick acknowledged it.

"I know, walkie talkies would sure come in handy-"

"Cell Block A would probably have some." Big Tiny cut in from the prisoner's table.

"Yeah, they'd be a hell lot of stuff like that in the guard's supplies. Riot gears, batons, extra weapons." Axel continued. Rick frowned thoughtfully.

"You can't expect us to clear out a whole cell block at this time, Rick, so abruptly? It's getting late, ain't it?" Shane muttered, glaring accusingly at the prisoners for suggesting such an idea.

"We ain't saying you should do it now." Big Tiny hissed, glaring right back at the ex cop.

"Tomorrow." Rick cut in before anyone else could. "We'll make plans tomorrow. But for tonight, we'll put two people on watch in one of the towers."

"And switch overs?" T-Dog asked. "Gotta remember we need people on watch _in _the cell block too." Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Surely you won't need to switch over if there's two of you?" Lori suggested. "One could rest while the other watches and visa versa?" Rick nodded.

"Who's on watch tonight?" Rick asked. Andrea, Glenn, Shane and T-Dog raised their hands. Rick took note of this and nodded. "You guys carry on as normal." I watched his eyes glance between the rest of us as he tried to decide who would be spending the night on watch in the tower.

_Deep down, I knew he__'__d already made his decision. _

"Daryl, you alright taking watch in the tower?" Rick asked, his gaze towards the hunter. Daryl glanced up and shrugged.

"Why not?" He muttered, getting to his feet and hitching his crossbow higher up onto his shoulder. I had forgotten how gruff his voice sounded, almost music to my ears, even though I had spent, _what?, _a few hours away from him without hearing him talk? My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. _Why was I so pathetic? _

I noticed the way Rick's eyes glanced in my direction, though he didn't seem to want to suggest I join Daryl on watch. Probably in fear I'd protest against it. I sighed and heaved myself to my feet.

"I'll just go get my stuff." I muttered, walking away before anyone could say anything. I heard footsteps follow me.

I had made it all the way up the stairs and into my cell before whoever had followed me made themselves known. I began to pack away my stuff without acknowledging whoever it was.

"I didn't mean to pressure you into it." Rick's voice spoke. I shrugged. "I just thought that after this afternoon, you'd want to talk things out with Daryl." I glanced over my shoulder towards where Rick was leaning against the cell door.

"You all hear everything?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just something about how you don't need him to save you." Rick shrugged, smirking slightly. "Lovers spat?" I snorted. "I'm joking!"

"You sound like Shane." I pointed out, half-heartedly. "Why do you care anyway?" Rick chuckled and sighed.

"You remember that first night here when you convinced me to talk things out with Lori?" I nodded. "Guess I'm just trying to return the favour. I don't want there to be any bad feelings between anyone in the group; we got to be strong now." I smiled slightly. "Plus I think yours and Daryl comradeship can come in pretty handy; you dealt with Carol and Dale together, you come across this place together, made it safe for us _together_."

"Ahh, so this is for _your own _benefit rather than ours." I teased and Rick smirked. There was a brief moment of silence before Rick's smirk faded a little.

"And after everything you've been through with his brother," He continued after the pause. "I think he _needs _someone to talk to like you. Someone who understands more than anyone else could. I think he appreciates your company a lot more than he lets on." I thought about this for a moment before smiling slightly and nodding.

_I hadn__'__t considered anything like that before. _

"You sure you'll be fine tonight?" Rick asked softly. "If you don't feel comfortable I can ask someone else to take your place? Heck, I'll do it if you want?" I shook my head, hitching my rifle over my shoulder and tucking my knife into my belt.

"I'll be fine, Rick, honestly." I smiled. "I've handled Merle Dixon remember, Daryl will be easy enough."

"You comin'?!" The said younger Dixon brother hollered from somewhere in the cell block, his voice sounding harsher than I expected. Rick and I shared a worried look and we exited the cell together.

Daryl was waiting by the door leading out into the yard, arms folded, his face impatient.

"I'd take camp in the first guard tower," Rick began. "Got more of a sight for the outside, you'll be able to see better. Remember, if you see anything; one of you come back and tell us, the other stay in the guard tower incase someone hostile comes across us." I nodded and Daryl appeared to blatantly ignore Rick's orders. "We'll send someone to come get you in the morning, so stay there until then."

"Sure thing." Daryl muttered, heaving open the metal door. I glanced back at the others as he left without waiting for me. I raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"See you in the morning, I guess." I sighed.

"Get ya ass movin'!" Daryl's voice cried, making me jump a little. Rick sighed and I hugged Sophia tightly, bidding her goodnight. Lori promised me she'd keep watch over her while I was gone and I thanked the woman.

"Good luck." I nodded and followed Daryl out into the dark corridor, leading out into the yard of the prison.

I heard the door shut behind us and the muffled sounds as it was secured for the night. I couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive now for the night ahead. A night _alone _with Daryl. Who appeared very _pissed _at me and who didn't appear to be in the mood for much 'friendly banter'.

The harsh sounds as Daryl pushed open the door caught my ears and I had to jog a little to catch up as he didn't hold the door open for me, as would have been expected. I frowned and glared at the back of the hunter's head as he made his way across the yard without a backwards glance.

_Oh, so this was how things were going to be? _Figures.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Sorry for the late update people! Hopefully it's alright? Obviously I've changed the decision on the prisoners because I feel Rick would feel more obliged to let them stay - considering during my story, Rick is still in the mind set he was in when Shane was alive. I think he's more compassionate before he killed Shane and therefore would probably vote for keeping the prisoners and give them a chance. Obviously Shane's Shane and goes against anything Rick says ;) Hopefully you like the change around I've done with the prisoners? Any suspicions regarding them? You expecting any issues from them? If so, what do you think is going to happen? And, taking note, in the comics they don't kick the prisoners out the cell block so I've taken inspiration from the comics too. _

_Daryl and Ruby have had a mild argument - I guess I blew it out of proportion but I think in the confinements their in and considering their head strong characters, I think a little sulking is in order ;) What do you guys think will happen in the guard tower then? A whole night alone together and they're ain't exactly in the best of moods ;) _

_And regarding my cut ins with Ruby's memories, I guess they probably aren't as interesting as they have been but I feel the need for breaks in between so that's why they're there. Plus I've gotten into the habit now of writing them in so they just seem to sprout from no where!_

_Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter, they're appreciated a lot! :) Please tell me what you think about this one I don't think I'll update until after the holidays. So in the mean time I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Thanks again, and I'll have an update as soon as possible! _


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

_Chapter Twenty Six_

To say the situation was awkward would have been an understatement.

We had taken lodge in the first guard tower, Daryl having silently lead me there, and currently the hunter was the one on watch. I sat on the floor, my back against the wall of the tower, my gaze on the back of hunter's head. He hadn't moved in a while now and I was beginning to wonder if he had fallen asleep. I didn't want to ask him though; _no, God forbid either of us speaking to one another! _

Daryl had made a point of saying as little as he could to me so far during watch and had ignored most, if not all, of my attempts to start a conversation. I was aware the hunter was stubborn, but this was ridiculous.

The sky was pitch black now, stars twinkling above us and the moon high and full. It was a clear night; _romantic even_. I snorted at the thought. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me and I realised that the outburst had been quite random on my behalf.

"Just thinking of something funny." I told him. He didn't even change expression or make any awareness that he had heard, merely turned away and resumed his previous position. I resisted the urge to sigh in frustration, so instead stood up. "I'll take over now." Daryl didn't move. "C'mon you've had long enough, get some rest."

"M'fine." He muttered, speaking for the first time in a while. As he hadn't spoken in such a long time his voice was croaky and he had to clear his throat loudly to regain his natural gruff. "Sit down, girl." I frowned at the man.

"We're sharing the duty, Daryl. You've had your turn. Have some time to rest." I insisted though Daryl didn't budge. "You still think I'm going to kill you in your sleep? Don't trust me enough?" Daryl didn't seem to gather that I was teasing and rounded on me in and instant.

"Are ya serious?! After everything 'nd ya ask me _that?__"_He cried. "Ain't got anythin' to do with trust, I just don't wanna fuckin' sleep!" His outburst left me stunned and I took a step back from the fuming man. _Was he seriously this angry with me? _

"What is your problem?" I hissed, getting aggravated myself now.

"_You__'__re_ my problem!" He shouted. "Won't fuckin' listen to me."

"And we're back to this again, huh?" I muttered and Daryl sneered at me.

"You fuckin' started it." He hissed. I scoffed in disbelief.

"_You__'__re _the one who has a problem, _you__'__re_ the one who got angry." I pointed out.

"And _you__'__re _the one still talkin' now." He breathed, running a hand across his face in frustration and I stared in astonishment.

"So that's it then? We'll ignore each from now on just because you don't get your way?" I countered, ignoring the way Daryl's eyes glared dangerously across the prison yard. "I don't have to listen to you. I'm not someone you can tell what to do, Daryl."

"Ya think I tell you those things in spite or sumthin'? When I say I don't trust 'em; _I don__'__t trust __'__em!__" _A glare was firmly etched into the man's face. "Why can't ya understand that?"

"Oh, I understand that fine, it's your demanding attitude that's pissing _me _off." Two could play at the "pissed off" game.

"Ya makin' it sound like I'm tryin' to rule ya life-"

"You're like a father who won't let his daughter play with the boys in the neighbourhood because he's trying to 'protect her'."

"Cos I _am _tryin' to protect ya!" He hollered, slamming his hands down on the tower. "I'm tryin' to keep ya safe, but _you_ don't care!"

"Course I care." I countered, attempting to soften my tone. "I just don't appreciate the way you're going about it."

"Ain't no other way to get it into ya thick skull!" I raised an eyebrow at his comment but said nothing of it. "Thought ya'd be more wary towards strangers after what you've _apparently _been through."

"'Apparently'?! You calling me a liar now?" Daryl practically growled in frustration and I wondered if he had ever gotten so angry with anyone else in the group. One of the men most likely, but the women perhaps not. Judging by his stance, he looked ready to turn around and hit me. I wondered then if I should perhaps take a different angle because this route was heading straight for a broken nose. "We've argued before, why the hell has this time gotta hang over you so much? Are you honestly this pissed at me this time?"

"Course I'm pissed at ya, girl!" Daryl cried, throwing his crossbow aside and running a hand through his hair, messing it up. I felt the urge to put it back in place, but knew that now was _not _the time. "Now, go to sleep, I don't wanna talk to ya no more." I raised an eyebrow at this in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I take orders from you now." I muttered, sarcastically. Daryl sneered at me before turning away and making a point of keeping his face away from me. "You're acting like a child." Silence. "Oh, the silent treatment now. Real mature." I saw his knuckles clench tightly into a fist and I knew he was getting angry - more angry than I'd ever seen him. I backed off a little, giving him some space, but I didn't want to let the subject drop. "I appreciate that you're just looking out for the group, but you gotta remember that we're all capable of looking after ourselves." Daryl turned to me, face scrunched in confusion.

"What's the group got to do with anything?" He hissed. I frowned a little and shrugged sheepishly, not knowing really what to say. Daryl's face softened an inch and he exhaled deeply. "Ain't got nothin' to do with _them_." _It__'__s not _them _I__'__m looking out for. _

"Just me." I breathed, nodding with understanding and wrapping my arms around myself, feeling a sudden chill. Daryl studied me for a moment before looking away again. His posture seemed a lot less tense now, which was reassuring to say the least. "And why do you care so much, thought I was just the newbie who was undecidedly trusted?" Daryl shrugged.

"You're a lot more than that now , ain't ya." He mumbled, quietly. There was a moment of silence which I knew was awkward on Daryl's behalf. "Still wish you'd just fuckin' listen to me." I narrowed my eyes at the man.

"I think you've known me long enough now, Daryl, to know that's not ever going to be the case." I pointed out, lightly. Daryl's whole body sighed in exhaustion and he turned to face me fully, his face lost all it's anger now.

"So, say ya trust 'em. What happens when ya let your guard down with one of 'em 'nd they take advantage of it, huh? You've seen the way they look at everyone, Thomas especially."

"You can't lump them all into one group just because Thomas is a creepy bastard." I muttered, causing Daryl to snort. "Axel seems fine." I was amused at the way Daryl wrinkled his nose at the man's name. "Why does he bother you so much?"

"He likes you a little too much, I reckon." Daryl muttered and I couldn't contain a grin from my face.

"C'mon, Daryl, he's far too old for me! You don't have to worry." I teased, causing Daryl to raise an eyebrow.

"What ya implyin'?" He muttered, eyes narrowing. I smirked a little.

"That you're jealous." It was an innocent, meaningless comment but the way Daryl tensed up made me question it and the smirk faded from my face. There was a moment of awkward silence before Daryl cleared his throat.

"I ain't jealous." Daryl countered, folding his arms across his chest. His expression suddenly turned defensive and I wondered how much I should push him on the subject. I didn't have chance to as Daryl quickly carried on. "One possibly alright prisoner ain't enough to convince me to trust the rest."

"So you trust Axel is what you're saying?" I asked. Daryl shrugged.

"I don't like him, he's far too clingy" He muttered, making me smile a little. "But I guess I trust him, yeah. The other three are another story." I nodded and realised that no amount of talking would convince Daryl to change his mind on the subject.

"You still pissed at me?" I asked. Daryl raised his eyebrow and resumed his position leaning over the guard tower and turning his gaze away to carry on watch.

"Yeah." He replied though there was something in his tone that made me think otherwise. "You're a pain in the ass, girl."

"I add excitement to your life." I beamed, glad that I had managed to alter the hunter's sour mood. I saw Daryl's eyebrows burrow and his lips turned up in what seemed to be a smirk.

"'Excitement' wouldn't be the word I'd use but _whatever_."

* * *

_What a quaint little neighbourhood, _I mused to myself. The streets were deserted, not even the dead in sight. Abandoned cars remained parked on their driveways or on the sidewalk. To anyone, it seemed as if everything was normal regardless of the upturned garbage bins that were spilled out on either side of the road. I tried to imagine the place with life, with people buzzing about daily, passing each other on the sidewalk. Not like it was now. _Not with nothing left_.

Toby and I walked down the middle of the road - no need for sidewalks anymore - armed and at the ready if necessary. Everything was so quiet and I wasn't sure if I liked it very much; it put me on edge. It was if we were building up to a climax which was sure to be dramatic and one I wasn't sure I'd enjoy.

I debated on whether to loot one of the houses as we were running dangerously low on food but there was something about them that just made me think to leave them undisturbed. I didn't want to disturb the silent atmosphere.

Suddenly though, Toby's ears were perked up and I was instantly on alert. I eyed the street around us, not spotting any staggering figure making their way towards us and wondered what Toby's ears had picked up. Then a noise in the distance; a rumbling. When I stopped to listen, it sounded weird against my ear drums. Almost like a car engine. _Strange? _

Just then a car rounded the corner at the end of the street and was suddenly coming towards us. A car - _people. _I didn't move, merely stood in the middle of the road, like a human barricade. I was unsure what my intentions were, but I wasn't moving anytime soon. The car continued heading towards me and I couldn't quite make out it's passengers. I wondered then if it would hit me. They may think I was dead, which was expected. I decided quickly that I wouldn't care if they did.

Just before I was knocked down, the car slammed on the breaks and came to a halt a few feet in front of me. There was a tense pause as the engine was turned off and the driver's door opened. A dark skinned man got out, a gun in hand and directed at me. This didn't bother me, I would have been bothered if he _hadn__'__t _pulled a gun on me to be honest.

"Are you bit?" He demanded, his hands shaking. I shook my head numbly, not finding it in me to talk. I raised my hands up in an attempt of peace and eyed up the man cautiously. "What's your name?" I swallowed hard to clear my throat.

"Ruby." I breathed.

"Is it just you, Ruby?" The man asked slowly. I nodded.

"Just me and the dog." I told him. The man studied me for a moment before nodding and he slowly lowered his gun. "What's _your _name?" Just then the passenger door opened and a little boy got out. He eyed me cautiously before turning to man.

"Dad?" He asked, his voice a little nervous, his eyes straying back to me.

"Get back in the car, Duane." The man soothed his son gently. The boy - Duane - studied me one last time and I tried to smile to warn off the scared expression on the boy's face, before he obliged to his father's commands and climbed back into the car. The man turned to me, looked me up and down and sighed.

"That's my son Duane. And I'm Morgan."

* * *

The sounds of Daryl's gentle breaths racked through me as I stared at the tree line. It was my turn to watch, having convinced Daryl to lie down, and the hunter was currently sleeping. I hadn't gotten much sleep when I was obliged to and was feeling the consequences now as my eyes began to droop a little.

I glanced over my shoulder and observed Daryl's sleeping form. It was quite dark now but the hunter was just about visible, sprawled out on his back with his hands behind his head. There was no glare or frown on his face and his worry wrinkles had all smoothed out. _He looked peaceful._ I took in all I could as I knew this wouldn't be an expression of Daryl's that I would see very often. His messy hair was flicked across his forehead, some spiked out in odd directions in an un-kept manner. I liked the look though, it suited him. _He looked handsome. _His shirt emphasised his arms as he had his muscles tensed from resting his head on his hands. I hadn't truly observed Daryl's physic in such a close inspection but I had to admit I was impressed. Not as overpowering as Shane's or as thin as Rick's. Somewhere in between and it seemed almost _perfect. _

Daryl shifted slightly I looked away, a blush burning on my cheeks, and I felt slightly embarrassed to have found myself staring at him for so long. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pondered over the feelings in my stomach when I thought about the hunter lying a few feet away.

I considered the argument he and I had had and thought over all that had been said.

"_Cos I am tryin__'__ to protect ya!__"__ He hollered, slamming his hands down on the tower. __"__I__'__m tryin__'__ to keep ya safe, but you don__'__t care!__"_

This was as close as Daryl got to saying he actually cared about me and I felt a sudden warmness wash over me as I thought about it. I had encountered many people since the outbreak, bonded with some, but there was something so different about my friendship with Daryl. Something _stronger? _I considered this and wondered if anything could have been stronger than my friendships with Merle and Michonne, for their companionship _was_ something to be matched.

It was different though. Neither were on the same levels. There was something so black and white about my companionship with Merle and Michonne. _Survival. _We struggled together because we _needed _each other. Sometimes nothing needed to be explained, we just _knew _what needed to be done and what would be said. The three of us were completely the opposite in nearly every respect but we just _worked. _We had been forced together and made to survive under so many pressures and when we had pulled through the first hurdle, we knew that it could be done and we intended to survive _together. _That was the bases of our companionship; _survival, _everything else was a fallout along the way and by the time we had realised how close we had gotten there was no going back.

With Daryl though it was just _different. _There was no pressures or forces that brought about our friendship. When I brought Sophia back to camp, we could have easily gone about with minimal talking as the group didn't require us to. _But we didn__'__t. _There had been countless evenings when I had stayed up with Daryl, upon seeing Toby whom had firmly gotten attached, and I had grown comfortable in the hunter's presence. There was something about him that put me at ease. And after everything, and every_one_, I had encountered I needed a bit of _ease_. He barely spoke at first, rarely initiated a conversation, but he listened. _He listened. _And when he finally got used to me and begun to speak more freely, I found I had enjoyed his company even more than I could have ever imagined.

Daryl reminded me much like his brother in the respect that he was a survivor. From the word go, I knew that. And it had been Daryl who had saved me countless times, he had even saved me the day we first met. Almost unthinkingly he helped the group, not just me, because no matter how many times he would deny it, he _cared. _I would observe him sometimes as his eyes darted amongst the group and just looking at his expression, I knew that he felt at ease with these people. _At peace. _

That's why Daryl had reacted like he had with me and I realised now why the man had gotten so angry. Whenever there appeared to be a threat towards the group - his family - he would stand up and fight without question. He had done with me when _I_ was a threat and he was doing it now when the prisoners are a threat.

"_And after everything you__'__ve been through with his brother,__"__ Rick continued after the pause. __"__I think he needs someone to talk to like you. Someone who understands more than anyone else could. I think he appreciates your company a lot more than he lets on.__"_

I had never considered my friendship with Daryl from this angle, never really considered it at all. I merely went with the flow and followed on wherever it was heading. From the start, I never really expected much of the hunter's trust as his attitude initially said otherwise. But I was persistent and whilst I used to always wonder why, I guess now it had paid off.

_Someone who understands more than anyone else could. _How though? I thought briefly it may have been the fact we had both 'lost' our siblings, but that was a very vague reasoning. _Someone to talk to like you. _Like me? I compared our personalities and wondered where on earth Rick was coming from. To me, I would have thought my presence would be a bane in Daryl's existence - the hunter had already stated I was a pain in the arse - and yet Rick thought otherwise. _I wonder why? _

I glanced back at Daryl and chewed my lip thoughtfully, the warm feelings creeping up inside me again. _These feelings _was certainly something different compared to my friendships with others. I never felt like this with anyone else, not Merle or Michonne. And yet whenever Daryl was present; physically or mentally, the feelings would linger within me, tickling my stomach and causing my heart to flutter a little. _What was wrong with me? _

I rested my head on my hands and sighed. I was doing far too much thinking on the subject of Daryl Dixon.

* * *

"I mean no harm." I attempted gently. There was something so gentle, so trusting about Morgan. I felt no suspicion and I hoped the feeling was mutual. There was only so much a person could take alone.

"Where are you heading?" Morgan asked slowly. I shrugged.

"I don't really have a heading, just surviving." Morgan hummed and nodded.

"Aren't we all." He muttered before jutting his head towards the car. "Get in, not safe to be out on the streets like this." He glanced inside the car. "Duane, move into the back so Ruby can shotgun." I smiled slightly when Morgan looked my way and glanced down at Toby. "The dog can ride in the back with Duane."

"Thank you." I smiled sincerely before making my towards the passenger seat and getting in. Toby got into the back beside Duane and I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at the little boy. "Hi, I'm Ruby." The boy grinned, patting Toby gently. "He doesn't bite don't worry." I reassured when Morgan got into the car.

"What's his name?" Duane asked.

"Toby." The dog himself lavished in the attention he was getting and I smiled at ease before turning back to Morgan. "Where are you heading?" I asked the man as he started up the car. Morgan sighed before answering.

"Not sure really." He told me. "Heard of a few safe bases, but no sure how much is rumours or facts."

"Safe bases?" I mused thoughtfully.

"Closest is apparently Atlanta." He told me, though his expression was down sighted. "Wouldn't advise going there though."

"Why?" I asked. Morgan paused before carrying on.

"We've been holding out on the outskirts of Atlanta since the outbreak," He began to explain. "Apparently there was a safe base in the city and I intended to take Duane when I taught him how to shoot and defend himself from those things." He paused and frowned a little. "We met a cop though beforehand. He'd been in a coma since the start of the outbreak so he didn't really know what was going on. Duane and I took him in and he told us about how he trying to look for his wife and son, and he thought they were in Atlanta." He glanced at his son before turning back to the road. "He went first, I said we'd follow after a couple of days. He took a walkie talkie with him and said he'd radio in when he got there to tell me if it was safe." He paused and chewed his lip. "Got a radio call from him a few days afterwards telling me that Atlanta wasn't safe and that is was overrun by those things." There was a pause as I thought about what he had told me.

Same as Fort Benning. Everywhere 'safe' was overrun. _Was anywhere safe? _

"What happened to the cop?" I asked. Morgan shrugged.

"He found his wife and son, and a large group. They left Atlanta apparently and we've been trying to find them but we haven't had much luck."

"Luck ain't exactly common now is it?" I muttered, staring out of the window.

"What's your story then?" He asked and smiled when I turned to him. "You're the first living person we've come across since the cop. Nice to hear about someone else for a change, fresh conversation and all that." I smiled a little and shrugged, thinking about everything I'd done and seen since the start of the outbreak and not finding it in me to bring these horrors to light for Morgan and Duane. _I wanted to hide them from it. _

"Suppose it's the about same as everyone else's."

* * *

"Is it mornin' yet?" Daryl's gruff tone muttered. There was a grunt as Daryl heaved himself to his feet and I glanced over my shoulder just as he was stretching. He met my gaze and I smiled slightly. "How long have I been sleepin'?" He asked, eyeing up the sky as it broke into morning.

"A good seven hours I'd say." I told him. Daryl stared in disbelief.

"Thought ya were gonna wake me after three? That was the deal." I shrugged.

"You looked too peaceful to disturb." I told him. "I didn't mind." Daryl frowned and I suddenly missed the peaceful expression he wore when he was asleep.

"Ya shouldn't have." He muttered, leaning over the tower beside me and glancing out. I shrugged again. "Anythin' happen whilst I was sleepin'?" I shook my head.

"Dead as a doorknob, excuse the pun." I told him, Daryl nodded. "Guess we just have wait now to be relieved." There was a pause as we were content with the silence between us.

"Cleanin' out Cell block A today." Daryl mused, glancing at me. "Ya plannin' on lendin' a hand?"

"Depends if I'm allowed." I replied, raising an eyebrow at Daryl. Daryl scoffed.

"Depends if Axel's comin' or not." Daryl countered, smirking. I grinned back.

"Oh no, you wouldn't want me to be left alone with him." I carried on the pretence.

"If he's comin'; ya stayin'."

"If he's staying; I'm coming?"

"Exactly." Daryl nodded, flashing me a slight grin when I met his gaze and I shook my head. "Ain't jealous." He added quickly. "Just so ya know." I laughed and turned to the hunter who was eyeing me with a smirk.

"You're quite defensive when he's involved." I pointed out, teasing. "That hints at jealousy." Daryl scoffed and shook his head.

"Guess I still sound like ya old man tellin' ya what to do, huh?" Daryl muttered. "Tellin' ya which boys ya can date 'nd whatever." I laughed.

"Can't say my dad was like that." I told him. "He was quite open with my sister and I, we could pretty much do what we wanted. Be friends with who we wanted, date who we wanted." A pause. "We weren't spoilt though!" I quickly added when I noticed Daryl's gaze. "Not in materialistic respect, we just had an easier relationship with our dad than most." There was a pause again and I frowned thoughtfully, thinking about the last images I had of my father, the last conversation I ever had with him and was thankful I had told him that I loved him.

"My ol' man was never 'round." Daryl spoke up suddenly. I turned to the hunter and noticed his bowed head and hard expression. He wasn't looking at me anymore. "'Nd when he was, he didn't do right by my Ma." I saw Daryl swallowed hard and play around with the string of his crossbow, giving him something to do I imagined. There was no denying the wavering tone of his voice. "He got drunk, was high a lot, 'nd he ain't very nice to Ma when he was like that. Used to hide away in my bedroom with the covers over my head when they argued." He chewed his thumbnail and I felt my heart sink at the vulnerable expression on his face. "Didn't really drown it out, heard it all. They'd fight physically sometimes, would hear things breakin' as they threw stuff at each other." He paused and frowned. "Dumb bitch brought it on 'erself though, sleepin' 'round. It was like she was out to piss him off." I considered this, feeling as if I should say something but not knowing what to say to make it any better.

"Did he ever hurt you?" I asked, quietly. The pause before he answered said it all and I didn't need Daryl to confirm it to know the answer to the question.

"When I got older 'nd was able to take it." He muttered, shrugging. "I tried to split him 'nd Ma up once 'nd ended up in hospital. Pa told 'em I'd fallen down the stairs."

Nothing could have prepared me for these confessions. I stared in shock at Daryl, unsure on what to do. Images of a child, no more than Sophia or Carl's age, being beaten to a bloodied pump, screaming for their attacker - their own father - to stop. It sickened me and I felt bile rise in my throat and my heart ache.

"And Merle?" I tried. A small smile graced Daryl's lips.

"He was in prison when Pa put me in hospital, got out a month after 'nd I still had a lot of the bruises." He chuckled a little. "Came home from school 'nd there was a bunch of police cars 'nd an ambulance at my house. Pa was being put in the ambulance, looked pretty fucked up, 'nd a bunch of cops were tryin' to arrest Merle." He smirked fully and stared off as if reminiscing. "I remember him spottin' me 'nd givin' me the biggest fuckin' grin I'd ever seen. Then he shouted 'I did that for you, baby brother!' 'nd the cops took him away. He served another six months in prison for causin' grievious bodily harm to Pa." Daryl glanced down at me and looked suddenly sheepish as he took in my horrified expression. "Sorry, shouldn't have brought it up-"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't mind. If you want to talk about this stuff, Daryl, then I'll listen no matter what." Daryl studied me silently. "I just didn't know you had to go through any of that. I'm sorry that you did."

"Merle not say anythin'?" He asked. I shook my head.

"He didn't talk a lot about his family." I admitted. "What happened to them? You parents." Daryl thought for a little while before answering.

"Ma died in a house fire - she caused it. Smokin' 'nd drinkin' in bed 'pparently. Came home one day 'nd the house was just alight. The whole neighbourhood was there givin' me all that sympathetic bullshit." He sneered at this and looked back down at the ground. "When Pa found out, he didn't do a right lot. Pretty much had to raise myself when Merle was in prison, 'nd put up with Pa on my own. He backed off though after Merle fucked him up, think it scared him. When I was sixteen, I had left school 'nd Merle was out of his latest prison stitch. We told Pa we were leavin' him 'nd didn't ever see him again." He shrugged after a thoughtful pause. "Sick bastard is probably dead by now." He laughed without humour. "I put a downer on things, don't I?"

"Don't be silly." I said lightly, smiling to comfort him when Daryl looked up.

"I don't hate him though." Daryl continued, not really needing a reply, just a listener which I was more than happy to be. "He made me stronger, made me prepared for life. Christ, the bastard did a good job at preparing me for all of this bullshit."

"All I have to say is that is that it's people like your father, Daryl, that really don't deserve to have people like you related to them, let alone as their son." I began. "Because you are the strongest person I know, who I am so privileged to have found in this fucked up world. You are ten times the man he ever was." I paused, thoughtfully chewing on my lip. "The group is so lucky to have you, Daryl. I don't know where any of us would be if you weren't here. You're _so_ important to this group and I'm so scared that you don't realise that. I don't think you realise how important you are to us all." I paused. "How important you are to_ me._"

Daryl didn't reply for a while, merely continued staring back, and I wondered if I had said anything wrong. My smile faded and I felt almost lost in Daryl's blue eyes. _He had blue eyes? _I hadn't noticed till now.

"What?" I breathed, barely audible. Daryl shook his head once and broke the gaze, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Ain't nothin'." He muttered, hitching his crossbow over his shoulder and glancing everywhere but me. I felt saddened at this and frowned.

"Daryl-"

"They'll come get us soon." Daryl muttered, still disregarding me. As if on cue, I noticed a figure walk out onto the yard and was making their way across towards us. I knew immediately that it was Rick and sighed a little. Daryl noticed our leader too and began to fuss over gathering up his stuff. "Thank God, I was gettin' hungry."

"Daryl look at me." I pleaded.

"Gonna have to bring food with me next time." He carried on, turning his back away and nearly made his leave down the tower. I quickly acted.

I jumped forward and grabbed Daryl's arm, like he had done the previous day, and stopped his movement. He didn't turn to face me though I felt his body tense in my grasp. This disheartened me.

"What's the matter?" I tried. He shook his head, still avoiding eye contact.

"Told ya, ain't nothin'." He gently attempted to tug his arm from my grip but I held strong.

"Did I say something wrong?" This made Daryl turn and look at me, his face soft and his eyes wide. He shook his head.

"Course ya ain't." He told me quietly. I didn't believe him. Daryl glanced over his shoulder to where Rick's figure was nearly upon the tower and back at me. "C'mon we better go meet him."

"You're being funny with me." I muttered, shaking my head.

"No I ain't." He tried, attempting to hold the gaze but failing effortlessly.

"You're not leaving till you tell me what's the matter." Daryl chuckled at this and raised an eyebrow.

"You gonna hold me captive?" He attempted, smiling slightly. "Promise ya, it ain't nothin'. Now c'mon, Sophia will wanna see ya 'nd I'm freakin' starvin'." His gaze held strong this time and he held his smile. I knew he wouldn't break and I just had to accept that. _For now. _

"Okay." I nodded, breaking my defiant gaze and looking down and my hand still enclosed around his wrist. My grip wasn't as tight as it initially was anymore; Daryl could have easily pulled away now. _But he hadn__'__t. _

Without thinking, I took Daryl's hand in both of mine and ran my fingertips lightly along his palm. My cheeks burned and I felt Daryl's eyes imploring me, but I didn't look up. His skin was callous, as I expected, but warm beneath my touch and I felt him completely tense up now. Gently, I raised his hand to my face and wordlessly placed my lips on his palm, kissing lightly.

When I met Daryl's gaze, I was stunned by the intensity behind his eyes. I couldn't tell all the emotions behind them, there seemed to be so many. Sadness. Joy. Hope. Longing? _Want? _

I was stunned even more so when Daryl's hand twisted in my grasp and I felt the light touch as his fingertips traced my cheeks gently. His touch was so warm and sent shocks through my body. _The feelings in my stomach were back and as raging as ever._ I held my breath when he tucked some of my hair behind my ear and let my grip on his hand drop, feeling as if I had lost all feeling in them.

"Daryl? Ruby?" Rick's voice rang out; _a true moment killer. _It echoed up through the tower as he called up from the bottom of the stairs below. I opened my mouth to answer but nothing came out.

"Yeah, we're comin'!" Daryl hollered back, not breaking his gaze from mine.

"Breakfast is being served, hope you're hungry." Rick called. "I'll wait down here for you." There was the sound of a door shutting as Rick had probably moved away to wait at the base of the tower for us.

Daryl's hand dropped away from my face and I felt a little saddened at it's absence. I was warmed again though as Daryl smiled at me - not smirked, or grinned, or even one of his ghost smiles; _a full smile. _A smile was on my own lips before I could think.

"Ya hungry, girl?" Daryl asked, glancing away to open the door into the inside of the tower so we could head down to meet Rick. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and Daryl stepped aside, holding the door open for me. I smiled bashfully as I passed and felt his close presence behind me as we headed down the stairs to meet our leader.

"I'm freaking starving!"

* * *

_(Author's Note): Pretty fast update for a change! ) Are you proud? Hope you like it and had a great Christmas! _

_Yeah, I added in Duane and Morgan. Initially I hadn't even considered their role, but I read somewhere that they were going to be making an appearance during season 3 and I remembered how much I loved them again! Not sure how far I'll go with them, it will depend on what you guys think. I guess it seems the world's quite a small place with Ruby meeting them but hey, in the world of FanFiction anything can happen ;) _

_Regarding the little 'fluff' (can you call it that?) between Daryl and Ruby - I suspect people wanted more but I just couldn't bring myself to it! I feel like they've got a lot more ground to cover but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know that the romance is slow, but like I've said before I'm not one to throw themselves straight into a romance where each party falls madly in love from the go ahead, I like the build up before hand. To me it seems more believable and enjoyable to read. But I'd like to know what you guys think. _

_And going off what Daryl said about his parents - pretty much made it all up, apart from what happened with his mother (he tells Carl about how his mother died in series 3). I know I probably softened Merle's input as well as I guess most people assume that Merle beat Daryl as a child, but personally I don't really see that between them. I see a brother bond, which obviously as it's flaws, but I don't think abuse between them occured. Not in my story anyway :) Let me know what your input is on this!_

_Thanks for all you reviews, they really mean a lot. Please tell me what you think of this one and I'll have an update up ASAP for you all! It'll likely be in the new year, so Happy New Year to you all and I'll see you in 2013 ;) _


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

_Chapter Twenty Seven_

"Only use guns when necessary," Rick hissed, leading the patrol. "Not too much noise, I suspect this cell block will be overrun with walkers."

"Just like the rest of them then." Thomas muttered and he and Big Tiny sniggered. Rick shot them a glare before shushing them quiet.

The corridor we were currently walking down had been cleared out a week or so before and lead us to Cell Block A which we intended to clear out today. Though we knew that this corridor had already been cleared, Rick told us to remain cautious and keep noise to a minimum.

I was barely surprised when I was chosen to join the patrol, having been on quite a few of the run outs to clear the prison. Joining me were the usual suspects; Rick, Daryl, Shane and Glenn - the latter having recovered nicely from his injury on the first day here. As well as Thomas and Big Tiny from the four prisoners. The rest of the group remained behind in our cell block, locked and secured and waiting under T-Dog and Herschel's commands.

Rick lead the group, as usual, with Daryl by his side and as lead scout. Then Thomas and Big Tiny with Shane close behind, his main role - keeping an eye on the pair of them. Glenn and I fell behind, watching the back.

"Cell Block A should just be round this corner." Big Tiny murmured, catching Rick's attention. The group was brought to a halt and Daryl was sent around to check. Glenn and I shared a look as we waited, both of us visibly shaken by what we were about to do. Finally, Daryl whistled sharply and the group moved forward.

"Door ain't locked, but it don't seem like anythin's made an attempt to get in or out." Daryl muttered and Rick nodded.

"We'll move in then when I say-" Rick didn't get very far.

Thomas and Big Tiny let out a pair of battle cries before charging towards the door and pushing it open. The sounds of rapid gun fire and grunts as the men began to kill the dead inhabitants were heard and their sudden action had startled the rest of us. We glanced at each other in confusion.

"Fuck sake." Shane hissed, getting to his feet and following after them, Rick hissed in frustration and joined him.

"Looks like we better join in." Glenn muttered. Daryl and I shared a look before the three of us followed the rest, discarding all sense of stealth and just aiming rapidly at the walkers, as Thomas and Big Tiny had done.

The first part of the cell block was practically cleared out already thanks to the two inmates, so Daryl urged Glenn and I to follow him as we made our way up a level to the next floor.

Daryl worked efficiently with his crossbow, dropping walkers from every direction. I was surprised at how little I had used my rifle already, having dispatched any walker in my way with my knife. Glenn had taken to bashing them over the head and smashing in their skulls for security. We worked well in our trio.

Between the three of us the top row of cells were all cleared out and we paused to take in the urgency below as the four other members of the patrol were taking out the bottom floor.

"Did you see how they reacted?" Glenn muttered. "Didn't even wait before charging in."

"Look at how they fight." Daryl agreed. "Ain't natural."

I observed the two prisoners as they dispatched walkers brutally and so animalistic like. The smiles on their faces were sickening and it was almost as if they enjoyed the killing. It put me on edge a little and I felt suddenly nervous and wary of the pair of prisoners. _Daryl would be jumping for joy if he heard that. _Judging by the look he shot me though, I gathered he knew how I was feeling.

"C'mon." Daryl sighed, nodding to a secure door further down the landing away from all the cell doors. "Must be where the guards are."

Upon first attempt, the door wouldn't budge. Daryl shoved against it but it still wouldn't heed. After another three more tries he turned to Glenn and together they threw their combined weight against it as I stood back, keeping watch incase of stray walkers that snuck up on us. The door opened and the pair of them staggered inside, only to back out again. Glenn suddenly began to heave over the balcony and I raised an eyebrow at Daryl, who was grimacing.

"Guards have already been taken care of." Daryl muttered, placing his crossbow down briefly as he took hold of his sleeves and tugged, ripping them free and exposing his arms. I scoffed.

"Pretty sure that was your only sleeved shirt." I pointed out. "Lori won't be pleased when she sees." Daryl smirked a little before wrapping one sleeve around his mouth and nose, then throwing the other to me. I copied his actions and tied his shirt sleeve around my lower face, trying not to take in his scent _too_ much, before following Daryl into the room.

"I'll wait out here." Glenn called weakly and I glanced over my shoulder to see a green faced Glenn. I snorted and gave the kid a thumbs up before venturing further inside.

Inside the room, I realised why Glenn was feeling so queasy. Dead bodies lay everywhere, decaying and rotting. You would have thought being in the world we were in now, we would be used to the stench of death, but this was so overpowering. Daryl's sleeve made it bearable to breath, but it still lingered in my nose. _These bodies had been here a while._ Bullet holes were in each one of their heads, I noticed, and I realised that these guards had taken the liberty of killing themselves rather than letting themselves turn. _Smart? _Blood was splattered everywhere, on the floor and the walls, and there was a sickening crunch under my boot as I unintentionally stepped on one of the body's scattered skull and brain. I swallowed down the vomit and looked over to where Daryl was nudging one with his boot.

"Opted out by the looks of it." He stated, meeting my gaze.

"They were smart enough to." I said, though was greeted by a replying snort.

"Ain't smart, it's cowardly." Daryl muttered and I raised an eyebrow. "At least they had the decency to shoot themselves in the head, save us the work." I didn't reply and instead observed the rest of the room.

It was quite big, with a row of lockers on the far wall, some open and revealing black bullet proof vests, batons and riot shields. Some of the bodies were wearing the riot gear and I decided that they'd sure come in handy when clearing out the rest of the prison. _Not flattering, but incredibly useful. _A battered sofa, untouched with blood, stood beside a kitchenette type area. Nothing special, just a coffee maker and a microwave, both probably not in use anymore. Another door was behind it, which looked more secure than the last and I was curious to know what was behind it.

What drew my attention the most though was the row of monitors along another wall, facing into the cell block. I approached them and pressed a few keys. None of the blank monitors heeded and I wiped my hand on my jeans to get rid of the dust and blood that I had picked up.

"CCTV?" I asked, my voice muffled from the sleeve tied around my face. I heard Daryl approach and felt his presence beside me. "Not working though."

"Power ain't on, that's why." He told me. "Could come in use if they were."

Outside the gunfire had ceased and I heard the sounds of Glenn calling down to the others to bring their attention to what we'd found. It wasn't long before Rick and Shane made their was inside the room, only to shy away from the strong stench of death.

"Got anymore sleeves." I muttered, glancing up at Daryl. He sniggered and Rick and Shane tried again, holding a hand to their faces.

"Everything clear downstairs?" Daryl asked. The pair of them observed the room and Rick nodded.

"Would have gone a lot smoother if they hadn't done what they did." Shane muttered, poking at a body with the barrel of his shotgun. "The fuckers." I raised an eyebrow at his comment but said nothing of it. Their attention was drawn to the row of monitors pretty quickly.

"Gonna need to get the power up 'nd runnin' if we want 'em to work." Daryl told them as they queried over the CCTV. "A whole lotta monitors, means a whole lotta cameras all around the prison."

"That would definitely boost security." Rick murmured, his eyes then drawn to the door in the back corner. "You checked that room?" When we shook our heads, Rick nodded to each of us and Daryl urged me to follow him over to the door.

I pulled hard on the handle as Daryl stood back, ready to shoot anything behind it, though the door wouldn't tug open. I tried again, but the door was firmly shut, so I glanced over my shoulder at the hunter with a shrug. He observed the door for a moment before walking over to the nearest body and tugging something free from around it's neck. He returned and held it out to me.

"Gotta use a guard's security tag to get in." He muttered, pointing to the locking system on the handle of the door. I nodded, feeling a little dumb at my efforts, and did as expected. I was thankful when I heard a click as the door unlocked. With one final glance at Daryl, I took hold of the handle and pulled the door open hard.

Daryl charged inside in an instant and I waited by the door, the rifle aimed inside. I couldn't made out anything though as it was pretty much in total darkness. I waited for the sounds of snarling and a crossbow firing, but I heard nothing, and it wasn't comforting. I swallowed hard.

"Daryl?" I asked, my voice trembling. _Oh God, please be alright. _

There was a pause before the hunter suddenly appeared, his eyebrows burrowed. He met my eyes briefly before turning to Rick and holding up a couple of almost new looking rifles.

"Found the armoury."

* * *

Morgan drove us down a couple more blocks before bringing the car to a halt at the edge of the curb. When the engine died, Morgan and Duane got out and I had no option but to follow. The streets were just as deserted as the last, though a lot more bodies were scattered on this one. I eyed up and down the street before turning my attention to my new companions.

Duane stood by his father as Morgan pulled a couple of large sacks out of the back of the car. I felt a little unnerved as I eyed the boy holding a weapon, it didn't look right in his hands. _Too big and grown up_. But I knew that I should get used to the sight. Kids with weapons and that knew how to defend themselves would be the ones who strived in this new world. The dead wouldn't be lenient just because they were children. _Their childhood would be lost to the dead now. _

"C'mon." Morgan urged, shutting the boot and making his way up towards the house we were parked in front of, his son trailing after him. I hesitated a little before following.

When we were all inside, Morgan shut and locked the door before barricading it up with wooden planks and nails. I wondered to myself if he went through the same exercise every time they wanted to leave the house. I glanced around the room I was in, there was barely any furniture apart from a mattress on the floor. All of the windows looked strongly barricaded and when I glanced into the next few rooms it was much the same story.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. Morgan had finished with the door and had made his way into another room - a dining room perhaps? - where he dumped the sacks on a wooden table. I followed and lingered in the doorway.

"Pretty much since the outbreak." He told me.

"Did you live here?" I continued. Morgan shook his head.

"Lived a few blocks back, but it got ransacked in the chaos. My wife and I got all we could, took Duane and ran." He paused to open one of the sacks up. Inside were cans of fruit, beans and various other food products. "The streets weren't very safe though so we found an empty house and secured every way in. All of the ground floor windows are secure, nothing has _ever _got in. The front door is only way in or out but, like you saw, that's secure too."

"Looks like you've got things fortified pretty well." I muttered, Morgan smiled a little.

"We've survived this long like this." He nodded. "It seems to be working for us." There was a pause and I remembered Morgan mentioning his wife in his explanation. A wife that seemed currently _absent. _I glanced over my shoulder to see Duane sat on the mattress, close by, stroking Toby and I decided it would be best to wait before going down that route.

"You said you've been trying to find that sheriff, the one who went to Atlanta." I brought up. Morgan nodded once.

"We tried the outskirts, found where they had once been camped. Looks like it got overrun, just like he said." Morgan told me. "Found a sign he'd left for me, said to head to Fort Benning." He paused to sigh. "But I haven't gotten around to leaving yet. It's a long journey which would be hard enough and I'm not sure I want to put Duane in that much danger when I don't even know if Fort Benning is safe."

"Well," I began, swallowing hard. "I guess I might as well break it to you." Morgan glanced up at me. "Fort Benning ain't safe anymore. It used to be, but a friend of mine, someone I used to travel with, said it had been overrun when she got there." I paused to let the news sink in, expecting a downhearted response. All I got was a long exhausted sigh and a nod of the head.

"Ain't the best news I've heard, but thank you." He said. "I guess I'm glad we came across you, could have gotten ourselves killed if we'd tried Fort Benning." I smiled.

"Glad to be of some use, it's the least I can do."

* * *

_The armoury was the jackpot. _I had overheard the men discussing the low supply on ammo and finding it had been a large sigh of relief.

It was decided that the weapons would be left in the security of the armoury and all the tags from the guards were gathered up and given to Rick who said he would distribute to those he thought deserved them when they had cleaned up Cell Block A of all the bodies.

"You know," Shane began during the clean up. "This cell block is a lot bigger than ours, perhaps we should move into this one?" Rick thought for a moment, glancing around at the cell block.

Shane was right, it was a lot bigger. Probably twice as big. Like ours, the cells were all on one wall with barred high windows on the opposite. Two staircases lead up to the landings overlooking the cell block above and the upper floor cells. A single platform was held up above the block, across the middle, probably as a lookout platform for the guards. The guard's room itself had bullet resistant glass - discovered curtsey of Shane's shotgun - that also looked out across the cell block. The main floor of the cell block itself had it's own common room like layout, like the other, with benches and tables around, some overturned thanks to the chaos but it could be established nicely. Plus it was a lot closer to the kitchens than the last one and there was also a corridor that connected to the exit out we had been using onto the prison yard. Not to mention all that came with the guard's room, Cell Block A seemed a lot better equipped for our needs.

"I agree." Glenn nodded. "Plus when we find the generator and start the prison's power, we'll have the security feed. It'll be a lot easier to access if we were in this cell block. Save us moving back and forth, because we're not sure how secure those corridors are really and we don't want to be moving around a lot. Especially alone." Rick nodded thoughtfully.

"We finish with the bodies and bring the others over here, see what they think." He told us finally. "It has to be a group decision."

After disposing of all the bodies outside and letting them burn, Daryl and Glenn left to get the others, while the rest of us remained behind in the cell block. Shane and Big Tiny were getting to work with the ground floor, returning tables and benches to the upright positioning. It was becoming a bit more 'homely' now.

"You have any idea where the generator is then?" Rick asked Thomas as the inmate took rest on one of the benches. Thomas shrugged.

"Ain't something we prisoners had knowledge of." He muttered, and I noticed Rick's eyes narrow a little at his tone. "My guess would be that it's nearby. I mean, the guard's were functioning quite heavily up there." He pointed unnecessary up at the guard's room. "The power source should be nearby." He shrugged and looked increasingly bored with the conversation. Rick nodded stiffly and wandered away, leaving the prisoner alone. I followed.

"We need to find the generator room, get the power working again." Rick told me in hushed tones. I sighed.

"Gotta remind you that we haven't found a substantial infirmary yet." I muttered in reply. "And _you _have a pregnant wife who's gonna be in need of some medical attention in months to come. Are you sure we shouldn't make _that_ our priority before trying to find the generator room?" I tried to make my tone light-hearted, my input was merely a suggestion as I didn't want to make out that I was questioning Rick's role as leader.

"I know, I know," Rick nodded. "But if we get those security cameras running then that gives us a bigger advantage when clearing the rest of the prison out. We can have a look at what we're getting into rather than going in blind and getting one of us killed."

"That's not happened yet though." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but with a place this size, the chances are pretty high." He muttered. I nodded, seeing his point. "We'll wait to discuss it with the others though, I don't want to jump into this before talking with them. Herschel especially, regarding Lori's condition." He sighed before turning towards me fully and raising an eyebrow. "How'd it go last night anyway?" I was startled by his question and struggled to answer for a moment.

"I made up with him." I shrugged. "Turns out he just needs a little sulking and someone to shout back for him to snap out of his pissy attitude." Rick smirked and laughed a little.

"Good; wouldn't want you two annoyed at each other when I need you both strong and working as a team at times like this." He told me. I raised my eyebrow at Rick though my attention was taken as the rest of the group arrived, Daryl leading them.

When I turned back to Rick, he smiled at me before making his way towards the group. I hung back, gazing around the cell block once more, thinking about how this could be our new home soon and wondering if the beds would be as comfy as the last.

"Hey Ruby." I looked down to see Sophia smiling up at me. I reached forward and stroked her head, bring her close and letting her hug me around the middle. "I'm glad you're safe."

"I always am I aren't I, darling?" I smiled, hugging her to me. She nodded and pulled away. "Do you like it here?" She glanced around the large cell block with an undistinguishable expression.

"It's very big." She pointed out and I laughed a little at her obviousness. "Are we going to be moving here?" I shrugged.

"Depends what everyone wants." I told her. She turned to stare up at me.

"What do _you _want?" She asked.

"Well," I began, thinking a little. "I want to move _here. _It's a bigger space for us all and you see up there." I pointed at the guard's room. Sophia nodded. "Well, up there we've found a bunch of security monitors which will show us footage from cameras all over the prison." She stared almost in disbelief. "We can watch over things, make sure everything is alright. When we get them working of course." I paused and judged Sophia's reaction. "What about you though? Do you like the look of it? Would you want to move here?" Sophia paused before taking my hand in hers and smiling up at me.

"If you think we should, then so do I." She grinned and I chuckled a little, giving her hand a squeeze.

Rick explained the situation to the group as diplomatically as he could. Shane made his inputs of course, swaying towards moving out of Cell Block C into A. Almost immediately the group questioned the generator run, the point I had brought up with Rick being brought up again by, surprisingly, Andrea.

"Shouldn't we find the infirmary first?" She asked, folding her arms. "I mean, we've managed in the dark and without power for a month, but look at Glenn. After that first run, it was a miracle his wound didn't get infected because we didn't exactly provide much to treat it. Surely we should be aiming to find medical supplies before something happens that's more serious?"

"There's cameras-" Shane began, but got cut off.

"We've managed without before." Andrea muttered.

"But now we have them, don't you think we should use their potential?" Rick asked. Andrea didn't reply straight away so Rick continued. "Medical supplies are short, I know, but finding the generator room will give us power of the prison. Not just working cameras. Lights in the corridors, makes it harder for walkers to sneak up on us. Electricity in the kitchens, maybe we'll be able to make substantially cooked food with the toasters and microwaves." The group shared a small chuckle at the comment. "I think that-"

"Why don't you just do both?" Carl piped up suddenly, cutting his father off. The attention was turned to him. "I mean, why can't some look for the generator room and some for the infirmary?" There was a pause of silence.

"Kid's gotta point." Shane muttered.

"It's not _that_ hard to figure it out." Carl smirked. Rick stared at his son thoughtfully before sighing.

"Before we even decide that though, what's the decision about moving? Are we staying in C or moving into A?" Rick asked, his eyes gazing across everyone.

The decision was made practically immediately that we would move into A. It wasn't a difficult decision really. It made a lot more sense and the group moved back to gather up belongings and the move was official. It didn't take too long, as we didn't own a lot of stuff.

Glenn and T-Dog would take watch in the guard tower for the night, taking food and one of the walkie talkies with them that had been found in the guard's lockers. It was tested once they got there and when Rick was satisfied that the walkie talkies worked, the door into the cell block was locked and secured for the night.

* * *

Morgan told me that they held up in the main room, rather than upstairs, though said I was allowed to sleep upstairs if I wished. There were beds in the bedrooms that I could sleep in and when I asked Morgan why he and Duane didn't sleep in them, he told me that he didn't wish to sleep in a dead man's bed. The comment unnerved me, but I reminded myself that I had been using "dead men's beds" ever since the outbreak, so surely another wouldn't hurt my record. I bided goodnight to the pair and thanked them for taking me in before trailing upstairs with Toby.

I took a simple looking bedroom, perhaps a spare room when the house was occupied before. The furniture was dusty but I didn't mind. Toby lay on the rug at the end of my bed, already content by the time I had even dumped my bags. Before getting into bed, I ventured over to the small window in the room and pulled back the curtains a little.

I wasn't surprised when I saw staggering bodies in the streets but I was surprised at how the sight didn't unnerve me so much as expected. None ventured too close to the house, none even realised our existence and that was fine by me. The night would be content so long as they didn't know we were here. I let the curtain fall back, deciding that I had looked long enough at the dead, then got into my bed for the night and crawled under the covers.

Before falling asleep, I thought of Morgan and Duane - my lodgers for the foreseeable future. I pondered their hospitality and wondered why they were so willing to let me without knowing me. I found it odd that they hadn't questioned me more, held that gun to my head a little longer, perhaps even taken my weapons from me. _But no. _They were so trusting and they had even let me into their home.

I reminded myself quickly that not everyone was like the Governor and my last group - not _everyone _had something to hide. My trust was still struggling to cope with it all though and I lay in bed that night with my gun under my pillow._ Just to be safe. _

* * *

The cell block was a lot more eerie than our last. The larger space provided a lot more echoing which wasn't particularly comforting when on watch.

It was my turn and I was sat on the platform, facing the wall of cells, my eyes darted amongst the darkness. Moonlight from the windows behind provided enough light to see if anyone got up and left their cells, but I was currently trying to make out where everyone's cells were. So far, I just about worked out which Sophia lay in. It was on the top floor - as Sophia requested - and was set apart from the rest. Though everyone was like that. With the extension of space, people had chosen cells away from each other to create a little privacy.

To keep myself mildly amused, I had my knife in my hands and had the point in the middle of one of my palms while the other hand twisted the blunt of the weapon. I didn't press hard enough to cause too much damage but enough to puncture skin no doubt and leave me with a little pinprick of blood. _An odd activity of amusement. _

Footsteps alerted my attention and I jolted my gaze away from the knife in my hand and towards the area they came from. My eyes landed on the stairs where a blonde figure was making their way up. I watched as Andrea sauntered across the landing of the upper part of the cell block towards the middle jut off that lead towards the platform I was currently sat on.

I wondered why she was up, it wasn't her turn next on watch. Perhaps she had gotten confused as she was very clearly making her way towards me and I was very sure it was Daryl who would be relieving me next, not Andrea. I raised an eyebrow as she approached.

"I know it isn't my turn." She said, once she reached me. "But I came to keep you company." Andrea sat down nearby and smiled at me. I smiled in return.

"Where were you at the start of my turn?" I muttered. "I'll be relieved in a bit by Daryl anyway." Andrea shrugged.

"I can keep you company whilst you wait for him." She replied, eyeing me in an odd way. I lay my knife aside, deciding that puncturing my skin wasn't such a great activity of amusement in company. "How was your ordeal last night anyway?" I frowned a little.

"It wasn't an _ordeal_." I muttered before shrugging. "Wasn't as bad as I expected anyway. Daryl couldn't stay pissed for too long." Andrea stared thoughtfully for a moment and I studied the look on her face, not liking it very much. "What?" I demanded after a while.

"I was just expecting some details." She told me.

"Details?" I frowned. "Were you expecting me to run you through the conversations word for word?" She shook her head, smirking a little.

"It wasn't the _conversation_ that I was interested in." Her tone had suddenly gone a way that I didn't expect and it didn't take me too long to get what she was implying. It also didn't take too long for the images of what happened the morning after the watch to creep up into my head, after I had increasingly tried to ignore them.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what you were expecting, but _nothing_ happened." I replied, glad it was dark enough that Andrea wouldn't see my reddening cheeks. Her smirk practically glowed though.

"Really? Because it just seemed like a perfect opportunity. Alone in a guard tower, just the two of you, for the entire night. I mean, yeah you were both pissed but I guess that could have led to after argument sex-"

"Wow, alright!" I cried. "You need to _stop _talking _now_!" Andrea laughed and I glared at the woman. "_Nothing happened.__" _She held up her hands in peace.

"Alright, I believe you." She said. "Just saying that _I _would have taken that opportunity."

"Well, I'm not you." I muttered. "I'm not up for casual sex with anyone."

"And you're saying _I _am?"

"_You _implied it." We regarded each other for a moment and I had noticed how the smugness had faded from Andrea's face now. I wondered if I had pissed her off, but decided that I didn't really care that I had after her comments so far. _Her obnoxiousness kind of reminded me of Merle. _

"I envy you sometimes, you know." She said after a long silence, her voice gone quiet. I frowned at this, silently asking her why with my expression. "You've adapted so easily to this new world, you've survived through _so _much." She swallowed hard. "I tried to kill myself after Amy, my sister, died. I wanted to _give up _because of it. But _you _just seem so much stronger than that. I mean, you lost your sister too-"

"Yeah, but my sister isn't dead." I cut in quickly, keeping my tone soft. Andrea's eyes widened a little at my confession. "She's with the other group, the one that ambushed the farm." I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment. "She was screwing the Governor and refused to come with me when we had the chance of freedom. Then she betrayed me by telling him and they've been hunting me down like a dog ever since." I shook my head. "I'm not as strong as you think I am, Andrea."

"You are." She nodded. "And the group see that. They trust you more than they do _me_ for starters."

"I don't think they do-"

"They do!" Andrea insisted. "Look how many times Rick lets you come along on the prison run outs. How much they've accepted from you after everything, how they've trusted you to watch over them, even now, when you've been with us less time than myself."

"It can't all be about time spent together." I pointed out.

"Exactly, and that's what point I'm making. You were like the tourist of the group, the stranger, and now look at you! So firmly _in_ the group."

"Andrea, this is starting to sound like you're jealous-"

"I am!" She laughed. "But it isn't a bitter jealousy, because I _understand. _I mean, I'm just as bad as the rest, befriending you from the word go!" I smiled a little. "I guess I'm just trying to say that you should give yourself credit, cut yourself some slack. You've made a point, you've earned your place. You don't have to prove yourself."

_You don't have to prove yourself to that asshole. _Daryl's words a month ago spoken echoed in my head. I shrugged.

"Guess I just think I've got a lot of catching up to do." I muttered. Andrea smiled and stared at me, studying my silently.

"And I didn't mean to sound rude before about what happened last night with Daryl." She said finally.

"Thanks but again _nothing _did happen." I muttered and Andrea chuckled a little.

"I guess I'm also jealous that you've got someone like Daryl to watch over you too." She shrugged and I narrowed my eyes.

"He watches over the _group, _not just me." I told her, firmly. Andrea shrugged again and rose to her feet.

"I think he's watching _you _a little more closely." She smiled, turning to leave.

"I thought you were keeping me company?" I asked and she glanced at me over her shoulder with a growing smirk.

"I've suddenly decided that I'm very tired." She said before turning on her heels and sauntering back down the landing towards the wall of cells.

As she was, I noticed another figure making their way across the top floor and I recognised them immediately to be Daryl taking over for watch. I glanced back at Andrea with a suspicious gaze and wondered if she had saw he was coming. _Who was I kidding, of course she had! _I didn't catch the comment Andrea said to him as they passed each other, but I caught the frown on Daryl's face as he continued across the landing and towards me. I smiled slightly at his approach.

"The fuck that woman doin' up?" Daryl muttered when he reached me. "Looks like she was upta no good." I shrugged.

"She was just keeping me company." I told him. Daryl scoffed.

"She ain't the best company to be keepin'." He replied and I raised an eyebrow.

"And _you _could keep better?" I retorted.

Daryl stopped for a moment, his face thoughtfully before he shrugged, a little bashfully, and smiled - again with the _smile, _not the smirk or the grin. It brought back more memories from this morning and I could practically feel the burning of his touch of my cheek again and the intensity of his gaze. I wondered if perhaps we would encounter a moment like that again and decided that I wouldn't complain if we did. _That made me question my opinion of Daryl. _

"Off with ya." Daryl muttered, holding his hand out to help me up. I took his hand obligingly and he pulled me to stand. "Time for bed, girl." I nodded, a yawn brewing.

"Goodnight." I smiled, making my way past him to leave, though Daryl's hand grabbed my arm before I could. _What was with us and grabbing each other? _

I turned to the hunter, my stomach suddenly spinning uncontrollably and the feeling of his touch made my body tingle a little. I raised my eyes to his gaze and wondered if I would see that same intensity that I saw that morning. I saw _something _that was for sure, though it wasn't the same as before. Though I guessed the situation had changed and that had it's effects.

Daryl frowned a little before holding his hand up to show me his palm. When I glanced down at it, I saw it was red. _With blood? _

"You're bleeding?" I asked, worried he was hurt. He shook his head.

"_You__'__re _bleedin'." He muttered, twisting my hand up so I could see. It was the palm I had been jabbing with my knife before and was surprised at how much blood was there now. My eyes widened a little and I wondered if perhaps I had cut deeper than I meant to without realising. "What ya do?"

"I cut myself." I replied quietly, leaving the ambiguity to the sentence, and Daryl sighed, reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out a piece of cloth with I recognised to be one of his shirt sleeves that we had used to cover our faces earlier that day. Daryl ripped the sleeve in half and deposited one of the halves back into his pocket before taking my hand again. I watched Daryl's expression as he wrapped up my hand with his sleeve, taking in the way he avoided my stare and how his eyebrows burrowed with concentration.

"You're making this look more serious than it actually is." I pointed out and I congratulated myself when he smirked.

"Don't want ya bleedin' everywhere, this place has enough blood." He replied, meeting my gaze and tightening the makeshift bandage.

"Well, thank you anyway." I smiled. "You'll give Herschel a run for his money soon." Daryl scoffed.

There was a moment of silence and I realised that Daryl still held onto my hand and was keeping hold of my gaze. I swallowed hard, not wanting to guess what his gaze meant and gaze his hand a quick squeeze before pulling it out of his grip. My hand felt cold when I did and I suppressed a sigh at my soppiness.

"Goodnight, Daryl." I said finally, smiling. I turned to go, though stopped. "Unless I'm bleeding anywhere else that you'll need to bandage up for me?"

I raised an eyebrow teasingly and Daryl smirked. His eyes racked over my body and he gestured with his hand for me to turn around. I obliged but felt increasingly subconscious as I did, _my cheeks were burning, _and I could practically feel his eyes scanning over me.

"Nope, ya good." He said when I'd done a full turn. "Off ya go 'fore I have to drag ya back to your cell." I raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Drag me?" I muttered. "Seems a little barbaric." Daryl's smirk widened.

"Then I'll carry ya." He retorted with a shrug. I didn't like the way I was attracted by the idea and decided it really was time to go.

I waved the hunter goodbye and made my way across the landing and back towards my new cell for the night. I had trouble trying to remember and passed it twice before finding a snoozing Sophia inside one. I sighed with relief, glad that I wouldn't be wandering the cell block lost all night.

Before going inside, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Daryl had barely moved an inch on the platform and still stood where he was before. He was looking over and I waved mockingly at him. I could see his smirk from the door of my cell as he waved back before he took a seat on the platform for the night.

_I think he__'__s watching _you_ a little more closely._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Happy New Yew everyone! Hope 2013 started great for you all! :) _

_This chapter is kind of a filler, I guess. Nothing really interesting happens, apart from the group moving. It's not my best, I'm afraid! I intend to do some time jumping soon regarding the prison time shift. It seems like I've been doing a lot of day by day accounts in the main part of the story, so I think I'll do some jumping soon. Especially when 9 months needs to be covered for Lori's pregnancy! ;) _

_I've got loads of ideas for this story regarding Merle and Michonne and the Governor and even Tyreese which I really just want to throw in all at once. Though I'm afraid things will take their time - which I suspect you're all pretty used to regarding this story. So if you're all cool with the long running of this story then awesome, if not then I'm sorry but that's the way it's going to be. I don't think I can write a very good story with events thrown in all together and with romances that start pretty much from the first encounter. Hopefully my Daryl/Ruby establishment is going well. Any thoughts on it? _

_Thanks again for your reviews, you guys are really great! Please leave a comment on this chapter, I'd like to hear your reactions on it. Was it terribly bad? Increasingly bad? Or did you actually enjoy it? ;) I'll have an update up as soon as I can. _


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

_Chapter Twenty Eight_

The word to describe life in the prison would be stable. _An odd word to use, but one that truly fit. _

It had been five months since the group had moved into Cell Block A, and it was safe to say the cell block wasn't as eerie anymore. It still echoed, but it didn't have the same spook as before. Cell Block A was our _home_ now, we were building a life here.

The generator room had been found a few weeks after Rick had decided we needed to find it. It was a great moment when Rick turned on all the power and suddenly corridors were lit and the prison was brought alive. It was weird to see a functioning light bulb again and that was an odd thought. Upon returning back to the cell block, the security cameras were checked. The monitors flickered on and off and it took a few attempts to get them working. Glenn was set the challenge of making them work, and he did himself proud. The monitors were fully functional and we now had a greater view of the prison.

Shortly after the generator room find, a large infirmary was found, much to Herschel's comfort. The medical supplies found were much more fruitful than the last and it seemed like luck was flowing our way. _God knows we needed it after everything. _Nearby to our cell block, a shower block was also found. The prospect of cleaning set the group on edge and the delightful cries when we found the water was working sent everyone into a craze. _The luck just kept on coming. _The prisoners then found a vast supply of spare jumpsuits in a dusty laundry room by the shower block and they were distributed amongst the group. No one was bothered that they were prison jumpsuits, merely relished the idea of getting out of the same grotty clothes we had been wearing for months now. There was a struggle to find those that fit Sophia and Carl, but we managed to find some that we slightly bigger and after some alterations the children were satisfied.

During the months, a run had been made back to the farm, upon Herschel and Maggie's request. The farm was abandoned by the Governor's group and walkers when they got there apparently and they gathered all the could before returning. They brought back some farming equipment with them and explained that they thought they could grow some crops in the prison's grass compound. The idea was passed by Rick and approved. Soon enough the farmer and his daughter got working, though some suspected their efforts were mostly to take their mind of their loss of Beth.

Their idea provided the group with a flicker of hope. Hope that perhaps we could rebuild life in this prison. There definitely still was a lot of work to do. We had secured our cell block and Cell Block C, as well as the passage to and from, including passages to the shower block and infirmary. Safe zones had been mapped out as a lot of the prison still was yet to be cleared out from walkers. Despite this thought, life still functioned fine in our sectioned off area of the prison.

A lot spoke of the _luck_ we had for coming across the prison, how much of a _lucky _find it was. Though there was fear beneath the happiness and stability. _Fear _of knowing that our _luck _will run out one day, perhaps even one day _soon_.

"Gotta stop your hands from shakin'. You won't be much of a good snipe with hands shakin' like a grandma." I raised an eyebrow at my teacher, refraining from making a comment about his obnoxiousness, and returned back to looking through the scope of the sniper rifle.

Shane had offered to show me how to use a sniper properly a few days back and we were currently in one of the guard towers over looking the grassy compound where the rest of the group was. Shooting practise was going on down below and Sophia and Carl were doing themselves proud under Rick's guidance and ever watching gaze. The pair of them had become pretty good shots, Sophia perhaps surpassing her friend. There had been numerous times when I had observed Sophia hitting a target Carl had trouble getting, and bit back the stupidly proud grin that would threaten to creep onto my face.

The bullets had been taken out of the sniper rifle at the moment so I scoped the group safely from my vantage point. I watched Carl and Sophia for a bit, smiling when they both successfully got their targets. My attention was then diverted to where Thomas sat beside Andrew. The former was lounged back talking to Andrew and making gestures with his hands. I frowned as the pair sniggered when Daryl passed them by and wondered what had gone on as Daryl walked away looking thoroughly pissed.

"What you lookin' at?" Shane asked.

"Just Thomas and Andrew being their arrogant selves." I replied, earning myself an agreeing grunt from Shane and no more.

I frowned some more when Thomas sat up and leaned towards Andrew to talk in, no doubt, hushed tones. I was surprised when his gaze wandered up towards the guard tower and wondered if he knew I was watching. _They were getting stranger, that was for sure. _I moved my scope on, scanning the field before a brunette figure caught my attention. I observed Lori as she watched her son practise shooting, taking in the smile on her face as Carl continued to hit his target. My attention was then directed towards my teacher and wondered how the situation faired between them. _The tension was most certainly still there between Rick, Shane and Lori. _

At around six months pregnant, Lori was nicely big. She was still blessed with the pregnant glow and still managed to look amazing whilst wearing the baggy prison jumpsuits that we all wore. Exactly _how _Lori was going to give birth in the prison was still undecided. Herschel was preparing the best he could but expressed constantly that he needed more equipment to work with besides the stuff found in the infirmary. This set Rick on edge a little, though he tried to hold himself together. Shane was also a little edgy because of it, no doubt for the same reasons. _Worryingly for the same reasons. _

"The shakes are gettin' better." Shane observed bluntly and I snorted.

"Kinda hard not to shake a little with you breathing down my neck." I muttered. Shane merely scoffed and handed me the ammo for the rifle.

For the rest of the day, we practised targets on some of the walkers outside the fence and I was surprised when Shane expressed that I was getting 'pretty good'. A true achievement considering I wasn't Shane's favourite person. Finally, Shane called it a day and we made our way down the guard tower to the rest of the group. Shane walked straight over to Rick, not even bothering to say another word to me but I was hardly disheartened.

"Hey." A gruff voice spoke beside me. I looked up and smiled at the hunter. "How was lessons with sergeant brute?" I laughed and shrugged.

"Alright, I guess. Can't say it's been a cheerful day up in that guard tower with him." I told Daryl earnestly.

"Offered to teach ya how to use my crossbow, but ya wanted the sniper rifle." Daryl muttered with a smirk.

"Your crossbow looks far more complicated than the sniper rifle, and plus whenever would I have chance to use it? It's pretty much your extra limb." Daryl snorted and shrugged.

"Would mean ya wouldn't have to spend all day with the cheerful chimp."

"True." I smiled. "It would mean I get to spend all day in _your _company which I prefer a whole lot more than his, _obviously_." Daryl gave me a small smile.

"Obviously."

The following day, I was made to endure more time alone in Shane's company though he informed me that he reckoned I may be good enough without many more of his lessons soon. I was thankful for this, not really fancying anymore of his time.

"Gotta warn you about the kickback though," Shane told me, holding his hand out to take the rifle from me. I gave it back to him and he demonstrated by shooting one of the walker targets. "See how it shoved my shoulder back? Gotta be careful of that, you could strain your shoulder or arm if you ain't careful."

"Thanks. And if I do strain myself?" I muttered. Shane shrugged and smirked.

"Gotta find yourself someone willing to give you a backrub."

"You offering your services?" I muttered, biting back a smirk when Shane's face dropped into a frown.

"Reload, try again."

After the day's lesson, we headed back down to the group and like the day before Shane marched straight over toward Rick. I paused to watch him go before making my way over to where Daryl was sat beside Toby on the grass.

"Think I pissed off Shane." I told him, sitting down. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "Asked him to give me a backrub, but he wasn't so happy with the request." Daryl's eyebrows burrowed.

"The fuck ya want _him _givin' ya a backrub for?" He muttered, firmly. I smiled.

"You can lay off the jealous tone, Daryl. I was only joking with him. It's just he didn't find it so funny." I paused to observe where Rick and Shane were stood across the compound, judging by their expressions they weren't having a 'friendly chat'. Shane's defiantly angry stance also said otherwise. "You reckon there's something wrong with Shane?" Daryl snorted.

"There's always sumthin' wrong with Shane." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you not think he's weirder since the farm?" I asked, turning to Daryl. He met my eyes and shrugged.

"Suppose so." He replied. "Like I said though, always gotta be sumthin' pissin' him off. If there's sumthin' he don't like, he's gotta have his say." I hummed in agreement before turning my gaze towards where Lori was stood with the children.

"You think it's something to do with the baby?" I asked. Daryl scoffed.

"Puttin' my money on it." He muttered.

I opened my mouth to speak, though was cut off by a sound that startled the entire group and stopped all activity.

_A scream. _

A shrill feminine scream that cut through the air and pierced the atmosphere. I sounded like it came from somewhere in the prison. _Most strange?_ Glancing around though, I took in the numbers of the group and realised that everyone was accounted for.

_Which meant the scream didn__'__t belong to any of _our_ people._

* * *

I woke up the next morning and hesitantly made my way downstairs. Unsure what exactly I was going to find, I slowly made my way through the Jones' house and found the father and son sat at the table in the dining room. I was greeted with smiles.

"How'd you sleep?" Morgan asked, eating a bowl of cereal. I frowned.

"Fine, but I'm curious as to how exactly you're eating cereal _with _milk." Morgan smiled.

"Long lasting milk." He explained. I narrowed my eyes and took a seat at the table.

"Didn't think it would last _this _long though." I muttered. Morgan shrugged.

"It's really only been months since the start of the outbreak. I'd say four tops." _Four months? Wow it seemed much longer than that. _"You want some?" I studied the milk in his and Duane's bowls before deciding I might as well and accepting a bowl of cereal from Morgan.

The atmosphere around the dinner table felt strangely peaceful and homely. It was off-putting for a moment, but I eased into it. I observed the father and son thoughtfully as they conversed.

"What we gonna do today, Dad?" Duane asked. Morgan thought for a moment.

"Gotta keep practising with your aim." Morgan replied. "You can have a go on the snipe upstairs today."

"But what about the noise, won't it attract _them_?" I asked and Morgan shook his head.

"The cop we met gave us a load of rifles and ammo before he left for Atlanta. Found that one of them had a suppressor on it, so I've adapted the sniper rifle with it. Can clear out the street without alerting the entire area." He smiled proudly before turning to his son. "Now, you go get set up and I'll follow up." Duane pushed himself away from the table and stood up. He paused beside me before going.

"Can Toby come with me?" He asked and I smiled.

"Of course, just call him and he'll follow." Duane grinned and left, calling for Toby who bounded after him.

"I'm quite fascinated with your dog." Morgan began. "Has he not slowed you down?" I shook my head.

"He's been good to me." I told Morgan. "Been there with me since the start and he's never been a problem."

"Would have thought he'd make too much noise and attract them."

"He knows when to keep quiet now. It's like he's trained for the apocalypse." I shrugged and Morgan rose from his feet, taking the bowls into the kitchens. I got up and followed him. "Morgan, would it be a little rude if I asked about your wife?" Morgan had his back to me and froze his actions. I wondered if I had upset him and cursed myself for jumping right in with the question. Finally the man turned to me and I was relieved not to be met with an angry gaze.

"Lost my wife the same way you've lost people you love, I suspect." He began slowly. "She was bitten the night we left our home. That's what brought us here, first house that was safe and where the dead couldn't find us. Duane and I stayed up with her until she passed, but I couldn't bring myself to shoot her in the head." He paused, swallowing hard. "I took her body out in the truck back to our home. I left her in there and came back. She's one of them now. I've seen her walking by here sometimes." He shrugged then. "It ain't a story you've not heard before. I guess everyone alive today has a story to tell similar to mine." I smiled sadly and nodded.

"I guess that's true."

* * *

The group were still for a moment before everyone was up on their feet and making their way towards where Rick and Shane were stood.

"Is everyone here?" Rick demanded, his eyes darting nervously around. When it was confirmed that we were, his face fell with confusion.

"Who the fuck was that then?" Shane hissed.

"Gotta be someone else alive in the prison. Perhaps more inmates?" Andrea suggested, though the prisoners shook their heads.

"This is a _male_ prison." Axel told us all. "Ain't no women prisoners here." This confused the group more.

"Outsiders?" T-Dog threw in. "Got in through a gap in the perimeter?"

"But the perimeter is secure." I pointed out.

"Could have cut their way through." T-Dog shrugged. "They may have been in a desperate situation?"

"There ain't really much point speculatin' right now." Daryl muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "We gonna do sumthin' cos they _are_ screamin' for a reason?" The group went quiet for a moment, eyes turning to Rick who looked deep in thought.

"Right, Ruby and Daryl you check the perimeter. If there is a gap then that's a problem. Fix it." Rick ordered. "If you come across anyone, don't engage in conflict; we don't know if they're dangerous or not. Bring them inside and lock them in Cell Block C." I nodded and turned to follow Daryl towards the gates that led us out into the perimeter, missing the rest of Rick's orders.

We worked quickly, I trotted behind Daryl as he kept the pace quick. He would go into the section first, check for walkers then I'd follow. So far we'd found no gap in the perimeter which was comforting though even more mysterious.

Suddenly though Daryl came to a halt and I noticed one of the gaps in the fence was torn open, leaving a gaping hole. Daryl and I shared a look before patching it up quickly. We didn't need any stray walkers to add to this mysterious equation.

"Well, we know how they've got in." I muttered. "We're gonna need to get something more secure for these gaps." Daryl nodded and glanced around. "There's blood." I pointed to the familiar red fluid dripping from a part of the fence. It was only a little, but it was noticeable.

"They're injured." Daryl frowned before raising his crossbow. "Where they went from here is the question." The pair of us studied the next perimeter fence in but found no gap. "Could of climbed it?"

"That would be difficult if it was one injured person." I pointed out and Daryl nodded in agreement.

"Not if there was a group of 'em though." We shared a look before Daryl gestured for me to follow with his head. "C'mon, lets get back to the others. They could 'ave found sumthin'."

We rushed back to the main gates with an even quicker pace than before. Daryl obviously made it there first and locked it after I was inside the compound. The yard and compound were both empty now and I gathered the rest of the group were inside the prison.

Jogging, we made it to the prison yard but paused when the door into the prison opened and Lori rushed out. When she spotted us, she came hurling toward us.

"Ruby, have you seen Carl?!" She gushed out, her breath quickened and out of breath. I frowned and glanced at Daryl.

"Ain't seen nobody." Daryl replied for me. Lori looked horrified by this and ran a hand through her hair.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Lori looked like she was about to breakdown and I was beginning to get a horrible feeling in my stomach.

"I can't find them." She panted, biting back a sob. "The children, I can't find them. I told them to wait in our cell while I went into the security room to see if Glenn had found anything on the cameras, but when I came back they had both gone."

"What?" I breathed. _Sophia? _"But are you sure you checked everywhere?" Lori nodded frantically.

"I've checked the entire cell block, asked everyone. No one's seen them. I thought that maybe they'd come out here to wait for you two but I-" She broke off to hold a hand to her mouth, holding back the sobs.

"We'll go back to the cell block, maybe we can see them on the camera feed." I suggested, trying to hold strength, for Lori and myself. Lori nodded and reached out to grab my hand. The three of us headed back to the cell block, Lori's hand a death grip in mine. I didn't care though, she needed the comfort right now and I wasn't feeling so good either.

_What if something terrible happened to her? What if she was hurt or runs into walkers? _She was supposed to be _my _responsibility. I had promised Carol I would look after her and I was doing a lousy job at it. But it wasn't just a promise I was breaking. Sophia was what brought me out of my run down state. She had taught me to trust again, to care. She had given me hope and something to live for. I _couldn__'__t _let anything happen to her or I wouldn't know what to do anymore. What purpose was I without watching over Sophia? _Oh God, please let her be safe. _

When we made it to the cell block, some of the group were gathered downstairs. They looked up upon entrance and Herschel told Lori that Carl and Sophia still couldn't be found. This made my heart sink further, but Lori's determind strides dragged me up the stairs and onto the upper floor before I could really think. Daryl trailed behind us, but I wasn't sure if I felt comfort in his presence anymore.

Inside the security room, Maggie and Glenn were staring at the monitors, their eyes working amongst the footage. They glanced up at us when we entered.

"Have you seen Carl and Sophia on the cameras yet?" Lori asked. Glenn shook his head.

"We're having a hard time keeping track of the others." Glenn admitted, pointing to one monitor where Rick, Shane and T-Dog were making their way down a corridor before vanishing from view and appearing on a monitor at the opposite end of the row by Maggie. "Confusing to keep up."

"We need to find the children, we don't know where they are." I told them.

"Well, we've been staring at these cameras for ages and we haven't seen them come by. Are you sure they've not-"

"There." Maggie cut across Glenn quickly, pointing to one monitor. Lori and I rushed over and saw Sophia and Carl's forms quickly pass by view.

"Where is that camera at?" I asked. "Whereabouts in the prison are they?"

"Are they in the safe zone?" Lori breathed, her hand still gripping mine, though was shaking a little. Maggie stared at the monitor for a moment before turning to us with a sunken expression. She shook her head.

"It doesn't look like they are." Lori nearly collapsed into a sob, but I kept her up. I eyed the camera as the children passed onto another monitor. I pointed at the screen quickly before they passed from view.

"They have guns." I pointed out. "They're armed."

"That doesn't comfort me in the slightest." Lori muttered. I glanced at her and tried to apologise with my expression. "We _need_ to go find them." Without even hesitating, I agreed with her and made my way towards the door. Only for it to be blocked by Daryl.

"You two ain't goin' nowhere." He said firmly.

"Move aside, Daryl." I replied, blankly. He stared back and shook his head.

"Ya ain't leavin' the block." He told us both, glancing at Lori behind me. "The best thing for those kids is for ya to stay here. Rick will find 'em."

"Rick is busy at the moment." Lori hissed. "Now my son is out there, in _danger _and I _need _to find him."

"Ya ain't gonna do a lot of good, lady, 'nd you know it." Daryl argued. "Ya aim ain't the best so ya pretty fuck'd if ya come across a walker."

"Well, _my_ aim is pretty good so let me go." I cut in and Daryl turned his attention to me.

"No."

"Get out of my way, Daryl, _now_."

"Why don't ya just listen to me-"

"No." I shook my head. "Why don't _you _listen to _me? _That is _Sophia and Carl _out there. They're just children, they shouldn't be out there alone. I told Carol I would look after her daughter before she died, and at the moment I'm doing a pretty shit job. So don't stand there and play all high and mighty with us, Daryl Dixon. Because, like I've told you before, I don't take orders from _you. _Now move the _fuck_ away so I can go find her because you're starting to piss me off." Daryl stared down at me for a moment, studying my angered expression. He made no attempt to move though and I was increasingly getting agitated wit him.

"Hey guys," Maggie quickly spoke up before I could spout out some more angry comments towards the hunter. "I can't see them anymore."

Lori got to the monitors before me and was frantically eyeing them in search for the missing children. I joined her though I was met with the same result as everyone else. _The children weren__'__t in view. _

"_Glenn?__" _A voice spoke suddenly. It sounded like Rick and I spotted the source of the noise to be from a walkie talkie on the counter top beside Glenn.

"Can't see any sign of them, Rick." Glenn spoke into the walkie talkie.

"_We__'__ve verging out of the safe zone now, Glenn. Ain__'__t too sure how far we want to go looking for these people. Have Daryl and Ruby gotten back yet?__"_

"Yeah they're here."

"_How__'__s the perimeter looking?__" _Instead of letting Glenn answer, Daryl reached forward and took the walkie talkie from him.

"We found a gap in part of the fence, Rick." Daryl began. "We patched it up 'nd found some blood. They're injured we're guessin'. Not sure how they got further in though, ain't no more gaps. We were thinkin' maybe they've climbed the fence but that would suggest that there's more than one of 'em."

"_Thanks Daryl.__" _Rick sighed. _"__Is everyone back in the cell block now?__" _Daryl didn't answer and glanced toward Lori and I. He paused before holding out the walkie talkie to us. Lori got there first before I could reach for it.

"Rick, Carl and Sophia are missing." She rushed out into the device. "They're not in the cell block or outside. We've seen them on the security feed and they're somewhere in the prison, Rick. They've taken their guns and we think they're out of the safe zone." The line went dead on the other end and on the monitors, Rick had stopped still in the middle of the corridor after hearing the announcement from his wife. Shane and T-Dog had stopped top, no doubt having having heard it over the walkie talkie.

"_Can you see them now?__" _He asked finally. Lori shook her head then remembered that her husband couldn't see her.

"No, we've lost them." Her voice broke a little at the end and she bit her lip to hold back the tears. "What do we do, Rick? Our baby is _missing._" _Mine too. _

"_Where were they seen last? Did you see them close by our current location?__"_

"No." Lori replied, as Maggie shook her head. "They must have gone a different way to you. What the hell are they doing, Rick?"

"_I don__'__t know, Lori. I don__'__t know.__" _Rick sighed. _"__We__'__ll make our way back to the cell block now, try and find them on the way. Keep an eye out on the monitors.__"_

"What about that scream? There's someone in the prison."

"_It isn__'__t important now. We__'__ll find Carl and Sophia and _then_ worry about that. Keep your eyes out, we__'__re coming back.__" _The line went dead again and on the monitors Rick, Shane and T-Dog had turned and were heading back. Lori gave the walkie talkie back to Glenn before walking away and sitting down on the couch in the corner with her head in her hands.

There was a moment of silence in the room and I felt as if my entire body had just gone numb. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried to concentrate on thinking straight. _Sophia was in trouble. _I knew I shouldn't think of the possibilities of what could happen to her, but I couldn't help it. Her pain filled screams echoed in my head. Over seven months I had known this girl, six of them having taken over from Carol and becoming her guardian. It was like she had suddenly been ripped from me, and I felt empty and broken. _If anything happened to her-_

I cut the thought off and decided I needed to leave the room as it was suddenly as if it was getting smaller. Without a word to anyone, I marched out. Shrugging past Daryl, I made my way across the landing of the upper floor, trying to clear my head. Down below the rest of the group had gathered on a few of the tables, all waiting for Rick and others to return.

"Ruby." A voice from behind me spoke, following footsteps accompanying it. I paused in my step but didn't turn around straight away. When I did, Daryl was stood there studying me with an odd expression. "I would ask if ya were alright, but I guess that's a stupid question." I stared back blankly in reply and I saw Daryl shift a little uncomfortably. "Look, she'll be fine-"

"And you're an expert are you?" I cut in harshly. Daryl seemed stunned a little by my comment and frowned.

"She was fine the last time." He pointed out.

"Because _I _was there." I hissed back. "She's running about the prison, Daryl, with Carl. They're _children. _They're in danger."

"Hey, I know." Daryl tried, softly, stepping closer. "But Rick, Shane and T-Dog are lookin' for 'em 'nd I'm sure they'll bring 'em back safely."

"Could have been Lori and I looking for them too if you'd have let us." I muttered. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the comment.

"I was protectin' ya. Would 'ave been stupid lettin' ya go out now; ya ain't thinkin' straight at the moment-"

"I'm thinking perfectly fine, thank you very much!" I cried, probably gathering attention from below. "I don't need _you _giving me orders, Daryl, especially not when Sophia is concerned. Carol trusted _me _to look out for her-"

"Don't keep bringin' Carol into this." Daryl cut in. "Ya makin' yourself feel worse by remindin' yourself what she said. When she said look after Sophia, she didn't expect that you'd do it alone, the rest of us are here to help you. Don't take the burden every time sumthin' happens to her cos it ain't your fault. Ya ain't got nothin' to feel guilty about."

"She's _my _responsibility-"

"Ya ain't her mother!" I paused, frowning at Daryl's words and taking a step back away from the hunter. Daryl's expression softened. "It's not healthy for ya to work yourself up like this every time she's in trouble. It was wrong of Carol to throw this on ya."

"She wanted someone to look after her daughter!"

"But she disregarded the rest of us! Bein' a parent ain't exactly sumthin' ya can just jump into, especially not in this world. All the pressure ya takin' is wrong 'nd it's times like this when it can cost ya."

"I don't need the lecture, Daryl-"

"Well, ya gettin' it." He muttered, silencing me. "I care about the girl, just as much as you. Heck, I've even softened to the Grimes' boy, but ya also gotta remember that they ain't _just_ little kids anymore. They have weapons 'nd they've had months of teachin' to know how to use 'em."

"So you're saying because they have guns, we should let them roam the prison alone?"

"No." Daryl shook his head, frowning. "Don't twist my words. I'm sayin' that ya need to at least give 'em credit. There's a reason they've gone wandering, they're smart enough to know not to do it for fun - _Sophia_ is anyhow. They're tough sons of bitches 'nd I _know _they'll be fine." He paused to sigh. "But _you. _Heck, girl, I'm more worried about _you _'nd Lori than I am the kids. Alright, Lori less so." I smiled a little in spite of myself. "Ya need to calm down, girl, cos ya startin' to freak out 'nd like I said before, ya ain't thinkin' straight. That's dangerous right now." After a long pause of silence, I sighed.

"I'm just worried, Daryl." I muttered, bowing my head a little. I still felt numb, but the reassurance from Daryl had eased my mind a little more.

"I know ya are." Daryl nodded, attempting to smile. "But ya gotta stay strong. Sophia won't want ya gettin' like this when she gets back." I nodded and exhaled deeply, trying to clear my head.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you before." I told him, feeling a little embarrassed now for my outburst towards the hunter. Daryl shrugged.

"Heard worse." _The sad thing was, was that I knew he had. _I felt saddened by the thought and studied the smile Daryl was giving me, trying to see through any cracks. There didn't seem to be.

"You're always there to spout some reassuring words, aren't you?" I muttered. "And you always say you're not the man who does heart-to-hearts." Daryl smirked.

"I ain't."

"Liar." Daryl's smirk widened and I let myself grin at him. Though instantly my grin faded when I remembered the situation. Guilt for forgetting about Sophia in that brief second overwhelmed me and suddenly I couldn't stand straight.

My legs wobbled beneath me and I grabbed quickly onto the landing rail to steady myself. Daryl was by my side quite quickly and had gripped my elbow gently to keep me straight.

"Ain't gonna faint on me, are ya?" He muttered, studying my face. "Ya gone pale." I attempted to smile and shook my head.

"Feel like I'm gonna throw up." I admitted.

"Cos ya worryin' yourself sick." He sighed. "C'mon, sit in here for a sec."

Before I knew it, Daryl had led me into the cell closest and had guided me onto the bed where he gestured for me to sit down. I sat down obediently and Daryl crouched in front of me, examining my face with a frown.

"Am I in need of Doctor Herschel's services then, Nurse Dixon?" I muttered. Daryl chuckled at the comment and gently pushed aside my hair on my forehead to place a hand over it to, no doubt, feel my temperature. His skin felt so warm against mine and no matter how many time I came into contact with him, he still made my body tingle and stomach jump at every touch.

"I have no idea what I'm doin' by the way." Daryl told me, quietly, a small smirk on his lips. I breathed a laugh, trying to ignore how close Daryl's face was.

"Yeah, I don't think a career in anything medical is for you." I replied.

"Stick to bein' the redneck then?"

"Suits you better." Daryl smiled and I shuddered when he began to massage my earlobes with his fingers. "What are you doing?"

"Sumthin' my grandma used to do when I was little. Used to calm me down and comfort me when I was feelin' shit. Figured it may work on ya." Daryl murmured, his eyebrows burrowed a little, his gaze off above my head.

While he was otherwise occupied, I studied his face as I had the chance. He had kept the rugged redneck look he'd had from the very first meeting, his face rough looking and his chin stubbly. His eyes intrigued me the most as their colour was so intense, it was a wonder how it took me a couple of months before I realised. _So blue. _The intensity behind them was just unnerving and whenever I would sometimes catch him gazing at me with that same look he had in the guard tower that morning all that time back, my body would shudder at the memories and the possibilities of the meaning behind _that _particular gaze.

I sometimes questioned my friendship with Daryl, wondering how oddly different he was with me compared with others. At first, I thought nothing of it, assuming he was the same with everyone else. But over time I realised that this wasn't the case and wondered _why _it seemed that only _I _ever saw the softer side of Daryl Dixon.

Andrea had sometimes called it a 'bond'. She said that the pair of us had common ground regarding our nature and our regard for Daryl's brother, Merle. Though I was unconvinced that the way Daryl made _me feel _sometimes had anything to do with Merle Dixon. _No. _Andrea was right that Merle was common ground for the pair of us, but I hardly believe that either of us would find so much comfort in each others company because of the fact we both longed to see Merle again. _That being if Daryl actually _did _find comfort in _my _company. _Because I had my doubts. _Though were they not just insecurities?_ Insecurities of the _love _kind perhaps?

I jumped when a loud slamming noise ruptured through the cell block and I was so lost in my thoughts I had forgotten the situation entirely. I frowned at this but realised I didn't feel as numb as before. When I met Daryl's gaze he was smirking a little.

"Grandma Dixon's theory worked, huh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes a little, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, though Daryl easily saw through me and grinned triumphantly. He rose to his feet. "C'mon, better go see who's just made a noisy appearance."

I followed Daryl out of the cell and the pair of us leaned over the landing to observe the scene below. Rick, Shane and T-Dog were back, though Carl and Sophia were _not. _I swallowed down the lump that was in my throat and instictively grabbed onto Daryl's hand. He glanced down at it briefly before giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Ya didn't find 'em?" Daryl called, getting the other's attention. They looked up and Rick shook his head. "Glenn might have seen sumthin' on the monitors?"

Suddenly, the security room door opened and Lori was marching across the landing towards us. She stopped beside Daryl and I and leaned over to look at her husband. I watched her expression fall when she saw her husband without her son and I reached forward and grabbed her hand too for comfort with my free hand.

"We _need_ to go search for them, Rick." Lori called. "I am _not _leaving my baby out there."

"We tried-"

Rick was cut off though by the sound of the cell block door opening again and suddenly the room fell silent. In a mere instant, Lori had pushed herself away from the railing and was running down the landing towards the staircase. There was a hesitation as Daryl glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and muttered;

"Told ya so." Before I was also making my way towards the stairs - less frantic and rushed than my predecessor.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Lori had gathered her son in a hug and Rick was stood beside them, placing a kiss on the top of his son's head and looking completely in disbelief. I didn't have to take two steps before Sophia had propelled herself towards me and had wrapped her thin arms around my waist, muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' over and over again into my shirt. I only sighed in relief before holding her close and feeling like I was blessed.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Lori's harsh voice cut through the reunion. She held her son at arm's length and though I could only see the back of her head, I knew her expression was furious. _I didn__'__t fault her. _"How could you just leave like that? Without telling us! Do you realise how worried we have been?"

"Look, we're sorry, Mom." Carl tried. "But we just wanted to help." Sophia had pulled away from me and walked over to her friend and took his hand in hers.

"You shouldn't have left the cell block." Rick muttered. "Something could have happened to you both, you could have gotten yourselves killed."

"We wanted to help!"

"The adults were handling it, buddy." Shane called from behind Rick and Lori. Carl's face fell into a frown and he glanced around the group.

"Well, if you adults were handling it, how come it was _Sophia and I_ who managed to find the outsiders and lock them in Cell Block C?"

_Silence. _

"You did _what?!__"_

* * *

_(Author's Note): A quick update for you all! I'm surprised at myself! I suddenly got an intense urge of inspiration and I wrote down a very detailed plot line for the upcoming chapters. For a while, I've had ideas dancing about in my head and now that I've written them down, I find it a lot easier to focus. The story line I've come up with doesn't exactly follow the plot line to the show, but it's inspired by them a great deal. And I've also taken inspiration from the comics too so it'll be a mixture. Overall, I'm quite proud of the storyline I've mapped out and I really think you guys will like it. There's a lot to come guys! ;) _

_I hope this chapter went well, it was quite an odd one for me to write. Obviously there's a massive time jump so the characters have built life more in the prison. I was worried about throwing all the group's findings in but some I've realised is necessary for the storyline and I think people would just get sick of accounts of how the group cleared out this room and then this room. Basically lots of walkers were killed, imagine zombie killing fun ;) _

_So who do you think is locked in Cell Block C then? Any guesses? ;) _

_And whilst the prisoners don't seem so active at the moment, bear with me. They will play an influencial role to come, I've just paced their actions more than how they were portrayed in the show. In the show, everything happend a little too quickly for me regarding their input. I was expecting more of an influence from the comics, so I've taken inspiration from the comics ragarding their story. ;) _

_Thanks (as always) for all your comments. You're all awesome and I'm glad not all of you have gotten bored on me and jumped ship. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I'd appreciate your thoughts greatly. I'll update when I can. _


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

_Chapter Twenty Nine_

"Sophia and I found them being attacked by walkers." Carl rushed out, his face lit up with excitement to tell us all of their achievement. The group seemed completely speechless as they processed what we had just been informed of. Glenn and Maggie's footsteps could be heard above and I guessed they were making their way across the top landing to listen in too.

"So we helped them and brought them to Cell Block C, just like you said." Sophia added.

"We locked them in, but they didn't seem too happy about it." Carl continued. "One of them was bitten and I offered to take care of her for them, but they said they wanted to do it themselves. Then we told them we'd be back later and came back here."

"Ain't that a dandy tale." Daryl muttered. Lori sighed and shook her head.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" She hissed. "Do you not realise how dangerous what you just did is?!"

"But we're fine, Mom, so I don't see what the fuss is." Carl replied, shrugging carelessly. _Wrong move, boy. _Lori's face flared and Rick grabbed her shoulders and heaved her away before she could fire anymore towards her son.

"Look, this is a dangerous place, you two." Rick began slowly. "You can_not _just run off like that without telling us. Now, I don't care about whatever you're going to say because what you did was _wrong.__" _Carl's face fell a little and Sophia shifted uncomfortably. "Just because you're allowed guns does _not _mean you're both adults, do you understand? You're still children."

"And running off proved it." Lori added.

"There's isn't any point getting angry at them." Andrea muttered. "They're safe, so I don't see the problem. Shouldn't we be more concerned about these outsiders?" Lori turned to the woman in a flash and looked positively fuming. I wasn't surprised to be honest, Andrea's comment hit a little close to home, personally.

"I think it's best you keep out of this." Lori told the blonde, her voice low and dangerous. Andrea raised an eyebrow.

"You don't tell me what to do-"

"They are _not _your children so don't you there stand there and comment on things you don't understand. You keep your nose out where it doesn't belong." I had to hand to it Lori for setting Andrea in a place; no matter how much I cared for the woman, Andrea had pissed _me _off with her comment.

"Look, lady-"

"Andrea just stop." I sighed, cutting her off. She turned to me in disbelief and I merely stared back.

There was an awkwardly tense silence before Rick sighed, grounding everyone back to reality again. He turned to the children and crouched down in front of them, taking one of each of their hands in his.

"What you both did today was very brave." He began. "But don't let it _ever _happen again. The group has other things to worry about and at times like this, we _need _you to listen to us, because _we _are the adults. You both understand?" Sophia nodded almost immediately, though there was a hesitation in Carl's response. Finally though, the boy did nod in agreement and attempted to smile sincerely at his mother, who patted his cheek affectionately in return, her anger fading now.

"So what happens with these outsiders?" Shane asked, gaining everyone's attention. Rick thought for a moment, glancing between the pair of children in front of him.

"We'll take you to them." Carl piped in quickly.

"You're not wandering off again." Lori told her son, firmly.

"_We _found them. It's only fair we take you to them." Rick glanced over his shoulder at his wife, and the pair of them shared a strong glance before Lori sighed.

"Fine, but I'm coming too." She returned. Rick nodded.

"How many of them are there?" Rick asked, glancing at Sophia and Carl.

"Six." Sophia told him.

"But a woman in their group has been bitten." Carl added and his father nodded at this piece of knowledge.

"We don't need all of us going." Rick began. "Shane and Daryl, you're both coming with me." His eyes wandered to me, and I nodded immediately. _I wasn__'__t leaving Sophia again. Not so soon. _"Lori and Ruby too. The rest stay in the cell block, T-Dog secure the door behind us. No one leaves until we get back."

The seven of us made our way down the corridor with trepidation towards Cell Block C. Lori clung to Carl's hand while Sophia had taken to latching herself onto my arm. Rick and Shane took the lead and Daryl trailed behind, watching our back. We made our way in silence, not quite sure what we should be expecting when we got to C.

When we entered the first room of the cell block, the sounds of chatter could be heard coming from inside the hall of cells. The door was shut firmly though and Carl held out the keys for his father to take, who accepted them with a small smile.

"They're locked in. We made sure of it." Carl told Rick quietly and Rick nodded once. Carl's voice must have echoed into the next room though as the sound of chatter stopped, then was followed by footsteps.

A dark skinned woman appeared at the barred door, her face young and figure slim. Her eyes darted amongst the group of us before landing on where the children were sat on one of the benches beside Lori. Her eyes widened a little.

"Hey kid," She called. "Reckon, it's time to let us out now?"

"Who are you?" Rick demanded, standing in view between the children and the woman. She eyed Rick with distaste for moment.

"I'll tell you when you let us out of here." She replied. "You can't just keep us locked in here like animals!"

"We have the keys, so we can do as we please." Shane muttered, earning himself a glare from the woman. Just then, another person appeared beside the woman. He was also dark skinned, heavily built, with a kinder face. His eyes also observed our condensed group for a moment before turning to the woman beside him.

"Sasha, you need to step back a moment." He said, firmly. "This ain't our house, we're guests here. _They_ make the rules." She backed off, though her face remained firm and furious.

"How'd you get in?" Rick asked, slowly, directing his question towards the man who appeared more approachable than the female.

"We made a hole in the fence," The man told us evenly. "We were hounded by roamers, had to find cover. This was the first place we came to. We didn't realise we'd be intruding." He paused for a moment, before sighing. "Hey, man, we mean no harm. We'll answer any question you have." Rick nodded stiffly.

"Heard one of you is bitten." Rick muttered, bluntly. The man and woman - Sasha - eyed each other for a moment, glancing over their shoulders at something unseen inside the cell block.

"Yeah," The man nodded, solemnly. "But she won't be a problem no more."

"You dealt with it?" Rick asked, firmly. The pair nodded again, stiffly, and Rick glanced over his shoulder, meeting Daryl's and Shane's gazes. "I'll make a deal; I'll let you out and we can talk without having to be on the other side of a barred door. On the condition that you hand over your weapons. _All _of them." Sasha's face flared.

"Are you serious?" She hissed. The man shushed her quickly.

"That's a big request, man." He muttered, softly. Rick shrugged.

"Like you said, _our _house; _our _rules." He told them. "You can have them back when we make a decision."

"A decision on what?" Sasha demanded.

"Whether we trust you or not." Shane cut in before Rick could. "Whether we're gonna throw you out, decide you can stay or just dispose of the threat you impose on us now." Rick sent a glare at his friend for his bluntness.

The man sighed before reaching behind him and throwing a bloody hammer through the bars, landing on the floor at Rick's feet. He then threw down a gun before holding up his hands to show he was unarmed now. Then he turned to Sasha, who looked completely against the decision, but obliged reluctantly. The man then disappeared from view for a moment and returned with a handful of various weapons. They were all thrown through the bars at Rick's feet. Our leader nodded to me and I quickly gathered up the various weapons and placed them on the table in front of Lori and the children.

"That's all of them." The man concluded and Rick nodded once, taking out the keys and stepping towards the door. He paused to glance back at us, nodding once. Subtly out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl's crossbow raise a little and Shane cock his shotgun as quiet as possible. I followed suit by quietly reloading my own rifle and holding it at the ready.

Rick unlocked the door and stepped back, making his way to stand in front of the table Lori and the children sat at, his arms folded. Shane stood beside him, his shotgun in full view and his arms flexed, a warning almost. Daryl and I stood back and watched quietly as the newcomers made their way into the cell block and sat down on a bench facing us.

The man remained standing, apparently playing the leader in this small group. Along with Sasha and the dark-skinned man, another man appeared from within the cell block. His face was sunken, tears streaming down his face. He barely sent a glance our way before sitting down beside Sasha. What surprised us all the most was when two young boys - no more than six or seven appeared through the door. They held each other's hands and looked almost identical, _twins no doubt. _They stared wide eyed at the lot of us before quickly rushing towards the saddened man and sitting beside him. _Their father perhaps? _

There was silence for a moment between both groups as each eyed the other suspiciously. Rick coughed, clearing the air, though the man from the other group spoke before he could.

"I'm Tyreese by the way." He offered, holding his hand towards Rick. Rick observed the outstretched hand for a moment before taking it and accepting Tyreese's offering. "This is my sister, Sasha." He gestured to the woman. "Allen," The sunken man. "And these two are Ben and Billy; Allen's boys."

"And the one who was bitten?" Rick asked, forcing each word out. The man called Allen raised his gaze and stared Rick down for a moment.

"My wife." He told us gravely. "Donna. Their mother." He glanced towards the boys before swallowing hard, trying to hold strong. "She's in there if you want to see for yourself." The last comment was bitter and Rick sighed, glancing over his shoulder towards Daryl. He nodded once and Daryl gravely made his way into the next room.

"We gotta check." Rick explained, almost apologetically. Tyreese nodded and the conversation was halted until Daryl return, nodding once and resuming his place beside me. "Name's Rick." Tyreese nodded, smiling gratefully.

"You been hunkered down here since the outbreak?" Sasha asked, glancing around the room. "Pretty sweet set up."

"Been here for nearly six months." Rick told her. "We've made it liveable." Sasha eyed him for a moment before nodding, her gaze flicking to the rest of us in turn.

"Never did get to thank your kids." Tyreese added, his head titled around Rick to see Sophia and Carl. "They helped us out when we were in deep trouble. Pretty talented with those guns." The children smiled proudly at each other and Tyreese grinned a little. "We're truly grateful."

"Where are you from?" Rick asked, his tone lighter now.

"Around." Tyreese sighed. "We've been on the road since the outbreak." Rick raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite a long time to be out so in the open." He observed quietly and Tyreese shrugged.

"There was more of us when we started, let's just put it that way." The unsaid spoke volumes and Rick nodded stiffly. I glanced awkwardly at Daryl. _How would this situation be resolved? _

I noticed the suspicious stare Shane was directing at the strangers but put that down as his usual expression. Really, it would be unusual to see him without _that_ expression nowadays. When I turned my gaze towards Lori, I saw her eyes only watched the littlest members of the new group. I strayed my eyes over towards them myself, eyeing up the two boys. They looked so lost, so out of place. They were a lot younger than Carl and Sophia and the thought of them surviving, _existing, _in this new world with those _creatures _made me feel sick. And they lost their mother now. _Just like Sophia. _

"Are you hungry?" Lori asked, softly. Tyreese titled his head around Rick to look at her. He smiled sheepishly.

"I suppose it would lying if I said no. We've not eaten in a while, Ma'am." He replied, politely. Lori's eyes turned back to the twins and I saw the look in her eyes. _The maternal look. _

"Rick, surely we have some food to spare?" She tried, ignoring the look Shane directed at her. Tyreese's face softened graciously as his group waited for Rick's reply. Our leader thought for a moment, his eyes gazing thoughtfully. "They have _children._" Lori added to empathise a point. At that, Rick nodded once glancing towards Daryl and myself.

"Go get some food and drink for our guests." He told us, before glancing briefly back at the other group.

"And some spare jumpsuits if we have any." Lori quickly added. "It's not much and they're not too flattering, but I'm guessing your clothes are getting quite grimy after so long, huh?" Tyreese grinned.

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you." He said, thankfully. Rick nodded once at us in confirmation and Daryl made the first move. Rick stopped the hunter briefly to whisper something in his ear, to which Daryl nodded once before continuing out of the cell block. I followed, smiling at Lori and the children as I passed.

"What did he say to you?" I asked Daryl, once we were in the kitchens, gathering food in an empty potato sack for our guests. The journey here had been silent, the pair of us musing over the new predicament the group had found itself in.

Daryl thought for a moment, his back to me as he gathered up cans of food from the high shelves. He threw the ones he deemed acceptable into the sack I held and met my gaze. I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Told me to report back to the others, ask what they think." He told me. "Rick doesn't want to be makin' such a mighty decision without the others." I nodded once. "We'll head back to the cell block once we're done here, see if we can muster up some jumpsuits that'll fit the little ones."

"What do you think about it?" I asked, eyeing up Daryl. He frowned, avoiding my gaze before shrugging.

"Don't really matter, does it?" He muttered and I narrowed my eyes.

"Course it does." I replied, firmly. When Daryl met my gaze, I raised my eyebrow again and set my jaw hard, waiting for the true reply to my question. Daryl smirked slightly before sighing.

"They seem harmless 'nough." He began. "Though not sure if they're truly trustworthy." I nodded. "What 'bout you?" I thought for a moment, chewing my lip.

"They have kids." I muttered. "We can't just throw them out. How can we expect them to survive?"

"They have done so far." Daryl retorted, though judging by the tone it was a half-hearted comment. I scowled briefly at the man. "Rick'll let 'em stay." He added after a while.

"How do you know?" I asked, Daryl smirked a little.

"Cos it's _Rick._" He told me. "He ain't gonna let 'em out into the world, 'specially when they have kids. Shane'll have sumthin' to say but that's to be expected." I nodded, glancing into the bag.

"That should do." I said and we headed back to our cell block.

T-Dog was on hand to open the cell block when we got back, closing it when we were both inside. The rest of the group were all gathered nearby, eyes probing us. I glanced at Daryl, keeping my grip on the food sack.

"We need five jumpsuits, 'nd make two of 'em the smallest ya can find." Daryl muttered, his command not truly directed at anyone, though confused the rest of the group.

"You're bringing them back here?" Thomas demanded, his expression furious.

"Not decided yet." Daryl glared at the man.

"We're providing them with food and clothes." I told them all, gesturing the sack in my hands. This only made Thomas angrier.

"You're kidding us right?" He cried. "You're giving them _our _food? _Our _clothes?"

"They have children-"

"So do we!" Thomas countered and I stared at his questionably. "You can't trust them!"

"We couldn't trust the lot of you, but ya still 'ere." Daryl muttered, directing his heavy stare at the prisoner. Thomas was shut down a moment, _only a moment though. _

"So what, we gonna roll out the welcome wagon for them then?" He sneered, stepping forward.

"Back off." T-Dog warned, still standing beside Daryl and I. I noticed the slightly raised weapon in his hand. "Now if they want us to get some clothes for these people, then we're gonna provide."

"T-Dog's right." Herschel nodded, before turning to his daughter. Maggie nodded at her father's silent question before rushing off to gather the requested jumpsuits.

"What are they like?" Andrea asked, folding her arms and tilting her head with interest. Daryl and I shared a glance.

"They got two kids, twin boys." I told the group. "About six or seven years old maybe." Daryl nodded in confirmation.

"There's the kids' father, mother was bitten 'nd dealt with." There was a pause. "Got two siblings; brother and sister. The brother looks like some basketball player, one big son of a bitch." He glanced at me before shrugging. "Seemed friendly 'nough though."

"You trust them?" Glenn asked and Daryl shrugged.

"They ain't armed too heavily, they don't outnumber us." He replied. "But suppose ya gotta be careful." He added with another shrug.

"Chances are though that they're just trying to survive, like us, though." Herschel muttered. "And they have children."

"_Young_ children." Andrea nodded in agreement.

"Rick is still trying to decide whether to bring them back here and let them stay." I continued. "He wanted us to talk to you before he made a decision." The group glanced at each other.

"I say we make them leave." Thomas muttered, bluntly.

"And _your _opinion is valued so greatly." T-Dog retorted sarcastically. Thomas glared at the man.

"_We _were here first." Andrew hissed.

"Are we honestly going through that again?" Andrea muttered, rolling her eyes.

"We're part of the group though," Big Tiny pointed out. "We have a right to our own opinion."

"You have the _right_ to it, but it's not God's gift." I added, earning myself glares from three out of four of the prisoners. The remainder of the four prisoners, Axel, stayed quiet, his posture as awkward as ever. I didn't expect an opinion from him. No one did.

"They're people, just like us." Glenn murmured, breaking the brief silence. "I think we should let them stay, even if we have to keep them under watch until we trust them." There was a gathering of nods.

"So it's agreed that you think they should be let in?" I asked, just to make sure. _We had to get back to Rick and the others soon. _

"Well, not exactly-"

"Shut up." Daryl cut Thomas off before he got any further.

"We let you lot stay, surely you can show the same curtsy?" Andrea asked, glancing between the three men. The looks she received answered her question. "Whatever, majority rules anyway."

"So, that's it?" Big Tiny asked slowly. "You're making a decision without even setting eyes on these people?" He glanced at Daryl and I. "You're just going to go off what _they _say?" I narrowed my eyes at the man and I knew if I turned to Daryl, a heavy glare would be on his face.

"Their words means a lot to us." Andrea said, firmly. "As you're a part of the group now, I'd assume you'd know that." The prisoners fell silent, their expressions speaking high volumes. _They were far from happy. _And I wondered briefly what the decision would cost us.

Maggie returned with the jumpsuits, handing them over and apologising profoundly for not having found any that would fit the little ones. Instead she provided a couple of small sized shirts and expressed that we would have to fashion some small clothes for them from some other jumpsuits. These would have to do for now.

"We're gonna head back to 'em." Daryl muttered, holding the clothes out to me to take and took the heavier sack of food from me, hoisting it up. "Lock up when we're gone." He nodded once to T-Dog and I followed Daryl out of the cell block back to the others.

The walk back was quiet and I briefly wondered what Rick would be talking about with Tyreese and the new group. I glanced at Daryl, whose expression was hard and stoic. _He hadn__'__t smiled much today, _I noted.

"You alright?" I asked, my voice echoing off the silent walls. Daryl didn't flinch at the sound of my voice, didn't turn to me either.

"Sure." He replied. "Why ya ask?" I shrugged.

"Guess you just seem off." I admitted, taking in Daryl turning to me out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm _fine._" Daryl emphasised. I nodded, taking that as my answer for now. There was a pause. "What 'bout you? Ya alright?" I smiled slightly.

"Sophia's fine now, so therefore so am I." I nodded, glancing up at the hunter. He nodded once, hoisting the sack up higher, to provide a more securer hold.

When we entered Cell Block C, Lori had moved herself beside Rick, crouched down. She was talking to the twins, who seemed to be responding meekly. Allen was staring between his sons and Lori, a slight smile on his face as one of them - Ben? - was recounting a past tale. Shane was leaning against the table beside Sophia and Carl, his shotgun lowered now, though his eyes remained suspicious. Sasha looked more content than when we left her and Tyreese looked equally as satisfied as before. Everyone's eyes turned to us when we entered.

"Food and clothes, just as you ordered." I smiled slightly.

I walked towards Tyreese when Rick gave me the go-ahead and handed the bundle of clothes in my arms to the larger man. He smiled gratefully. Daryl joined me, dumping the sack of food on the table that they sat at. He backed away once he had done his job and took a place beside Shane. I backed up too, walking towards where Sophia and Carl sat, sharing a smile with the pair of them. They still had that proud expression on their faces which I couldn't help but beam at.

"We couldn't find sumthin' that would fit ya kids' sizes." Daryl muttered in explanation when Sasha held up one of the shirt's that we had provided for the twins.

"It doesn't matter." Tyreese shook his head, still smiling. "We're so thankful for this." Daryl nodded once at the man, probably not comfortable with the appreciative looks he was getting from the other group.

Whilst Tyreese's group examined our offerings, Rick turned to us and backed up to stand near Daryl. He raised an eyebrow at the hunter and Daryl quietly relayed back what the group had said. Lori had excused herself from the other group and was standing close by Rick, listening to the words passed between the two men. Once Daryl had successfully retold all he could, eyes turned to Rick as the leader thought.

"What do we do, Rick?" Shane muttered, his eyebrows burrowed.

"We can't let them go." Lori shook her head, tucking her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. "They have little children, it's not _fair_."

"We gotta think about the group, what's best for them. What's safest for them." Shane tried, though there was something in his tone that was off. _As if he knew his argument was invalid. _

"The group has spoken." Lori pointed out. "We'll keep watch on them, just as we did the prisoners, until we trust them. But we _cannot _throw them out." There was longest of silences before Rick nodded.

"I know." He said, quietly. "I know what needs to be done."

* * *

I sat in the corner of the room, my back against the wall as I was on the bed. My gaze was on the two other people in the room, who were by the window for Duane's target practise. I was allowed to sit in and watch as there really wasn't much to do in the house.

When asked how long Duane had been practising, I was told since the cop left them. _Months ago? _When I observed Duane's aim and skill, I realised the boy had gotten pretty good since the cop's absence.

The day passed by peacefully, we remained for most of the day in that top bedroom. Talking, target practising, just _living. _

It was refreshing. _Good. Nice. _

It certainly was a step up from the days I had been used to. It felt like a day off, a day off I believed I had really earned. There was just something about Morgan and Duane that was _peaceful. _But that was unnerving to me.

I had been so used to danger, _mistrust_. The trusting and easy nature of the father and son confused me. The doubts still wandered my mind, edging to believe it was all a façade and soon I would be jumped, chopped and put in a pot to be served as dinner.

_The thought sickened me. _Though the danger was still evident.

I eyed up Duane as he shot another of the creatures outside and knew the boy could handle himself with a weapon. _He could no doubt take me down. _My hand itched towards the gun in my belt and I gripped the handle with uneasiness. I had enough bullets to put the pair of them down, take away the danger-

_What was wrong with me?! _

When had I become so _cold?_

* * *

When Tyreese and his group were first introduced to the rest of the our lot, the uneasiness in the air was evident.

I observed the distasteful expressions Thomas, Big Tiny and Andrew sent the small group's way with no look of softening even when setting eyes on the youngest members of their group. _Apparently the innocence of children did nothing to these men. _At least Axel had the good grace to attempt a smile when Tyreese looked his way.

Rick made the introductions for both parties which was taken with equal hesitance. Tyreese and his group were still in mourning over their fallen member, Allen didn't say a whole lot and kept tight hold on his two little boys. The little ones themselves looked eager to explore, apparently taking an ease from Lori's approaching nature. Sasha remained guarded but her face had softened since we first set eyes on her through the barred door of Cell Block C. Tyreese, their leader, eyed the cell block appreciatively before turning to Rick.

"We'll do all we can to help you, to make amends for your hospitality." Tyreese promised, holding his hand out as a friendly gesture to Rick. It was accepted without barely a hesitation.

"That would be appreciated." Rick nodded.

"Can we have our weapons back?" Sasha asked, eyeing up Shane, who had hold of all their weapons, guns and hammers alike. Shane raised a stubborn eyebrow, making no move to hand over the weapons.

"It'll make us feel a lot more comfortable with them." Tyreese tried to reason, gently. "You can keep watch on us if it makes you feel better," He ignored the scoff that came from Shane. _That__'__s exactly what we were going to do anyway. _"But _please_ let us have our weapons." Rick thought for a moment before nodding once at Shane.

Once Shane had distributed the weapons back to their rightful owners, Rick's welcoming expression fell hard for a moment as he eyed Tyreese carefully.

"Please, don't make us regret this decision." He stated slowly. Tyreese nodded, surprisingly not taking the statement harshly, instead _understandingly. _

"You got it, man." Tyreese replied. "You won't regret it, really. We're truly _grateful_." Shane scoffed.

"Man, if I hear that word again, I'm gonna nut some heads together." He muttered, under his breath, though it echoed off the walls and was loud enough for everyone to hear. Tyreese glanced at the man with a raised eyebrow, though made no attempt of confrontation. _A nice change. _

"C'mon, we'll show you around." Lori cut in, smiling at the group and offering her hand to the little ones.

Tyreese and his group followed her, not without a hesitant glance at Shane before doing so. Rick trailed after them, sending his partner a meaningfully hard glare as he did. Shane, himself, merely scoffed before trundling over to where Daryl, Andrea, T-Dog and myself were gathered. He glanced between the four of us.

"Keep your eyes on them." He muttered, darkly. "For the good of the group, keep your eyes _open_. Don't let your guard down around 'em." Though our mistrust for these strangers didn't extend as much as Shane's we all nodded with understanding. His calculations were off, but I suppose Shane meant well. His nature was harsh, but his words were true with their meaning. "Don't want to make any mistakes." With that Shane walked off.

I watched the man walk away, some of the others wandering away too, to investigate the new people. Daryl remained beside me, his gaze also watching Shane saunter away. _There was something so off about him. _

_Shane__'__s always been off - _would be Daryl's reply, and I bit back a smile.

The lightness of my thoughts were erupted though when my attention was caught by the small group of people off from the rest - the inmates. Their gazes were harsh, sickeningly dark. Thomas' especially. His eyes remained on Tyreese and his group, with such convicting hatred burning beneath them. I had seen some odd looks from the man before, but _never _had I seen the pure intensity of that gaze. It startled me and for that brief moment, I felt true fear towards the man. Big Tiny and Andrew wore similar gazes and the three of them sneered at each other, discussing things too quiet for me to catch from the distance away. Axel stood apart from his fellow criminals, awkwardly listening to what they were saying. Judging by his face, he didn't like what he heard. After hesitation, Axel scampered away towards his cell, leaving the three remaining to stare after him. There was a pause in their conversation before the looks were back and directed back at the newcomers.

_This was certainly interesting. _

I glanced at the man beside me, and was surprised to see his gaze towards the prisoners too. _We thought alike? _As if sensing my gaze, Daryl turned to me and I tried to say what I wanted to say to him, without words. Daryl got the message and nodded.

_It seemed it wouldn__'__t just be Tyreese and his lot that we__'__d be keeping _close _eye on. _

…

A week passed by uneventfully.

I was surprised at the lack of activity, but that may have been due to the recent excitement in Tyreese and his group's arrival. They had adapted considerably well, I had to note. Ben and Billy - who I still could not tell apart - had committed themselves well into the group, with Lori's help. Carl and Sophia had become their new play pals and even their mourning father smiled at his sons' new delight.

Allen, himself, had eased into the life we had created. He was hesitant to react to our offerings after the death of his wife, but with the encouragement of his children he had begun to enjoy the company of others. Tyreese had taken it on easier, but that was expected from the beginning. It was hard to be suspicious of the man when his easy nature just oozed trustworthiness. Sasha was a different case, but the woman was just stubborn, not an imposed threat.

Regardless of it all, the extra hands were welcomed. By _most _of course.

"Need any help?" I glanced around, and set eyes on Tyreese. I was in the kitchens, sorting through the supplies. It was a vast collection and a dreary job, but I had offered so I had to get on with it and bite my tongue. I smiled at the man and accepted the man's curtsy.

"What happened to your girl's mother then?" Tyreese asked, politely. It was a blunt question in itself, but Tyreese's tone had almost eased me in so that I wasn't so taken back by it. I paused for a moment before sighing, reliving those haunting memories.

"She got bitten a few months back," I told him. "We were holding up on a farm before we found this place. But we got overrun and ambushed, we had to leave. Sophia's mother died that day and I was given responsibility of her." I shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"That's quite a responsibility." Tyreese mused. "I lost my daughter in all this too." He added after a sigh, I turned to the man, taking in the down turned expression that was on his face. "Right at the start. Julie, she was called, a beautiful girl." I smiled at the fondness of his tone. "So smart and kind-hearted. But then _he _changed her." His jaw clenched. "She had been dating some kid from our neighbour, a dorky guy, bit of a waste of space if you asked me. Not good enough for my girl that was for sure. _Chris _was his name." He sneered to himself. "He had convinced her that there was nothing left to live for in this world. Julie confided with Sasha before it happened, that she didn't know if she could go on anymore, living in a world full of the dead, waiting to become one ourselves." Tyreese paused and struggled with finding the right words.

"What happened to her?" I urged, softly.

"Sasha and I left to get supplies one day. We only went for a little while." Tyreese continued, his voice shaking. "But when we came back, we found Chris and Julie-" He cut himself off to take the beanie hat from his head and run a hand through his short hair. "They had committed suicide together, shot each other in the head. She left a note to me, telling me how sorry she was, how much she loved me." His hand tightened on one of his jacket pockets and I had a sneaky suspicion I knew what was in there. "Her note is all I have left of her now."

"And your memories." I added. "The memories you have of her are important. You can keep her alive by thinking of all the good times, all the times you had with her." I swallowed down hard. "Thinking about the bad times will only taint what you remember of her." Tyreese eyed me curiously.

"Sounds like you know what you're talking about." I shrugged.

"Suppose we've all had our fair share of death." I sighed. "I can imagine you ask anyone in this prison, and they'll give you a similar story to yours or mine." It was a blunt comment, one that was probably quite insensitive on my behalf, but Tyreese nodded thoughtfully. "A man I met on the road taught me that." _Morgan Jones to be precise. _

"You been on the road long?" Tyreese asked, curiously.

"Longer than the rest of the group, I expect." I admitted. "This group have been together since the start of the outbreak, I was a late-comer. I found Sophia being chased by walkers. I saved her and brought her back to her mother. Tried to prove myself to the group."

"And before that?"

"I was with another group." I told him. "A larger group, more dangerous. Cannibals, rapists, murders - you name it, that's what they were. They were pure _animals_. I escaped and that's how I found myself on the road. A very long cheerful story, I can assure you." I grinned humourless at Tyreese and he smiled sadly back.

"But you've survived." He pointed out. I nodded.

"And I found Rick and the others. They're good people. If I hadn't have found them, then I probably wouldn't have lasted very long." I shrugged, sighing. "I spent a lot of time alone. A very long, _depressing _time."

"You have people that care for you here." Tyreese continued. "You're right, they _are _good people. Like you, I don't think we'd have lasted long if we hadn't have found you lot. After Donna was bitten, all I could think was how Allen was going to break down, we'd lose our strength. But your group pulled through; _thank you_ for that."

"Don't need to thank me anymore." I muttered. "You don't need to thank any of us." Tyreese nodded and we fell into silence again. "How's Allen doing?" Tyreese sighed.

"I think he's coping." He told me. "But I'm keeping an eye on him." _You__'__re not the only one. _"Ben and Billy don't need to lose another parent so soon after the first." I nodded in agreement. "They deserve to at least have someone left that they love."

_Don__'__t we all? _

Once Tyreese and I had gotten sick of the kitchens, we called it a day and headed back to the cell block. On the way back, footsteps appeared to be coming down the corridor towards us. We paused on our way, mutually agreeing to take it slow and careful. We were happy when Big Tiny appeared around the corner, eyeing us both up for a moment, scrutinising us darkly. _He wasn't a walker at least._ His eyes eyed Tyreese longer before turning back to address me.

"Alright?" He muttered. I raised an eyebrow and nodded, taking note of the way he blatantly ignored Tyreese.

"Where are you going?" Tyreese asked the man, earning himself a glare.

"The showers, you got a problem with that?" He sneered and Tyreese held his hands up in peace.

"Just asking, man." Tyreese tried, attempting to smile at the man.

Big Tiny didn't take the bait, merely studied him once more and nodding in acknowledgment at me. He passed by without another word, heading towards the shower block. Tyreese and I watched him go before sharing a nervous look.

"He always that hostile?" Tyreese asked, hesitantly. I sighed before nodding.

"They all are."

When we entered the cell block, everyone else was busy and hadn't taken note of our entrance. I smiled at Tyreese before leaving the man and making my way up onto the upper level of the cell block and towards the security room. Down below, Tyreese made his way over to Rick, greeting our leader with a friendly smile.

Approaching the security room, I saw the familiar face sat at the monitors and smiled in spite of myself. I knocked gently before entering. Daryl glanced up, nodding at me before returning his gaze back to the monitors.

"All quiet on the Western front?" I muttered, smirking when Daryl raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Had fun in the kitchens?" He asked and I shrugged, he no doubt saw me leave with Tyreese.

"He told me about his daughter. She killed herself apparently." Daryl frowned a little and I sighed. "He's a nice enough guy, Daryl." I was surprised when Daryl nodded, spinning around on the office chair like a big kid.

"Tyreese had done right by me so far." He admitted and I raised an eyebrow with disbelief. "What?"

"Didn't think it was like you to be so trusting of someone so strange to the group." I observed with a smirk. Daryl frowned and shrugged.

"Like you said, he's a nice enough guy."

"Man crush much?" I sniggered, earning myself a glare from Daryl.

"Fuck you." I wasn't disheartened by his phrasing, merely snorted at his guarded comment.

"Is a bromance brewing?"

"Bromance?" I rolled my eyes. "Lay off it, girl, I just think he's decent, that's all." I let it drop, but grinned at the hunter to emphasise a point. In return, Daryl merely brushed it off.

I glanced out across the cell block through the glassed wall, observing the action below. Lori's bump was prominent from this distance and I found myself thinking about what would come about three or so months down the line when we'd have a birth on our hands. Herschel had expressed the difficulty the birth would prove to be and his worries had disheartened the soon-to-be parents. I couldn't imagine getting over the fact you'd be giving birth on the grimy floor of a prison cell or on a dusty couch that was in a room once filled with brain-exploded corpses. What that did to the mother's mind, I could not comprehend and I admired Lori's strength as she pulled through the long tiring months of pregnancy.

My thoughts wondered onto the fantasy of myself carrying a child, giving birth, raising a family. It was once a dire wish of mine to be a mother, but luck hadn't always found me. I didn't have such great history with men and it saddened me that the opportunity had passed me by. Never would I truly feel what a mother felt when she first set her eyes on her newborn, held them for the first time, looked into their eyes. I _loved _Sophia with every ounce of my being and sometimes convinced myself that I was her _mother _sometimes, a selfish thought.

_I was _not _her mother. _But the thoughts still remained and I still ached when I thought about everything I had missed.

My gaze wondered towards Glenn and Maggie, Rick and Lori - the couples, the _lovers. _There was something so raw, so _beautiful, _about the way each couple looked at each other, spoke to each other, held each other. After being thrown into this new world, materialistic values had been stripped and emotions had been heightened. _Love included. _The love each couple had for one another made me smile and want to cry at the same time. _Smile _because I was happy for them, _cry _because I yearned for what they had. _For someone to truly love me for what I was, all the bad stuff and insecurities included. _Who took everything into account and yet still cared. _Still wanted me. _

"Ruby?" A gruff voice broke me resign and I glanced towards where Daryl was sat. He was eyeing me strangely and I realised then that I had started crying. I avoided his gaze in an instant.

In embarrassment, I wiped the tears that were cascading down my cheek away quickly, as if trying to hide them from the hunter. Who seemed to be the one whose presence I was constantly in, who was perhaps my closest companion, who irked their way into my thoughts without meaning. He was just constantly _there. _But the stability was comfort. _Comfort I so craved. _

"I'm sorry." I tried, sniffing back more that threatened to break.

"Ya don't have anythin' to apologise for." Daryl told me, softly. I glanced back again, surprised by the concerned expression on the hunter's face. It was one I rarely, if never, saw. One which broke through the cracks in his hard exterior, through the walls he must have spent his entire life building. "What ya cryin' for?"

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head. "Silly stuff. Girly stuff. I'm being pathetic really." Daryl's jaw clenched at that but he didn't back down.

"Ain't pathetic if it's botherin' ya this much." He retorted, his eyes imploring mine. I shook my head, feeling embarrassed enough about the thought of discussing children and lovers in front of Daryl. I could just imagine the upturned nose if I told him.

"I'm fine." I tried, smiling at the hunter, though the raised eyebrow said he didn't buy it. "Where've you left Toby?" I continued quickly, changing the subject.

"He's with the children." He told me, obliging to the change in the topic, though his face remained concerned. "They get more entertainment out of him than I do." I smiled.

"You love him really." I teased and Daryl scoffed. "You wouldn't tolerate him following you constantly if you didn't."

"What's the reason I tolerate _you_ then?"

In just one sentence, the lightness of the conversation stopped again and my smile faded at Daryl's comment. Judging by the startled look on Daryl's face, he didn't expect the question that had blurted from his lips either. Easily, the question could turn into something that tampered with inner thoughts and feelings that hadn't been touched upon yet. Thoughts regarding each other could be brought to light. Opinions, status, could be altered. I felt my heart lurch a second, my mind buzzing back to it's previous turmoil, before I quickly masked any surprised expression I had and attempted to smile at the hunter.

"Because I lighten your day." I tried to keep my tone easy, playful enough for Daryl to relax. It worked as Daryl's demeanour softened and he tried to smirk back. _Tried. _

"Yeah, sure."

The conversation was greeted by silence then as we merely stared at each other. I was unsure what to say, how to respond to such emotion behind the hunter's eyes. So much passion that spoke so much more volumes to his character than his words did. I wondered then how Daryl perceived me, how I was seen through his eyes. Was I easy to read? Pleasant to talk to? Did he enjoy my company as much as I did his? _Did he care for me as much as I cared for him? _

Suddenly a scream pierced the air and I felt a strange sense of déjà vu and Daryl and I wasted no time rushing out of the security room, the previous tension forgotten. The group were gathering together on the ground floor and Daryl and I quickly joined them, attempting to catch onto the situation.

"Who was that?" Lori demanded, her hands around Carl's shoulder, whose hand was in Sophia's. _She was safe, that was relief to me. _

"Sasha's missing." Tyreese announced in despair, his eyes darting around for his sister.

"So's Ben and Billy." Allen cried, Tyreese having to hold his friend up to keep him from staggering off his feet. Rick glanced around, eyeing up the barred door that secured us away from the rest of the prison - where the scream had come from.

"That scream, was it Sasha's?" Rick asked, glancing back to Tyreese.

"I can't be sure, but I think so." Tyreese nodded. Rick sighed, his eyes glancing around.

"Shane, Ruby, Daryl on me." Rick ordered.

"I'm coming too, I _need _to find my sister." Tyreese insisted in an instant, his hammer gripped tightly in his hand. Rick eyed the man up before sighing and nodding.

"Me too." Allen quickly cut in. "My children-"

"Rick, we're wasting time, man." Shane muttered and Rick nodded quickly.

"C'mon then. Lets move out."

T-Dog took his post by the door - having apparently taken up role as official door keeper for the group. He unlocked it and allowed Rick to lead the small group out. The rest of us who were asked followed him out and the sound of the clanging of the door resigned behind us and we were instantly running down the corridors with urgency.

"Which way did it come from?" Rick demanded, his voice growing hoarse. Suddenly another cry, more of a sob, filled the air. _She was close. _

"Sasha!" Tyreese cried, taking off into a sprint, overtaking Rick and Shane with his long bounding steps.

He rounded the corner and disappeared from view. We quickened our pace to keep up and found ourselves in front of the door into the shower block. Rick made his way in first, after the assumption Tyreese was already inside, his gun raised. The rest of us followed afterwards.

The brother and sister were spotted in an instant, Tyreese supporting his sister as she sobbed into her brother's chest. Her cried echoed off the walls, it was a desperate sound, one that clenched every fibre of my body.

"What happened?" Allen demanded, rushing forward to the siblings. Sasha pulled slightly away from her brother's grasp and her eyes widened at the sight of Allen and suddenly she became frantic, trying to pull away from her brother's grip completely.

"No, you can't-" She tried, though Allen's eyes, like the rest of us, had cottoned towards where a pool of blood was oozing around the corner of one of the shower walls.

Allen staggered forward, his whole body tense, as he approached the pool of blood to observe where it was coming from. The rest of us remained back, Sasha having turned to sob into Tyreese's chest again, clearing knowing something we didn't. There was a desperate feeling amongst us, as if we already knew what would be around that corner when Allen had full view. The knowledge of knowing what it was sickened me.

Finally, Allen rounded the corner and his eyes had obviously set eyes on what the blood belonged to. In an instant his body changed and he collapsed against the wall, his face in horror.

"No!" He cried. "Oh God, no!" Tyreese carefully pried Sasha away from him and walked towards his friend. He took one look at what Allen was seeing and instantly took a step back, trying to ease Allen with him. "Don't fucking touch me!" Allen screamed, shoving Tyreese hard and falling back hard against the tiled wall. His actions were that of a broken man and I bit back the tears at the sight of his state - it was _heartbreaking _to see.

"Man, come away." Tyreese soothed. "You don't need to see anymore."

"What difference does it make?!" Allen sobbed. "Oh God, no! Please no!" It was then that he collapsed, onto the floor, not caring that he landed in the pool of blood. Tyreese fell beside him, uttering soothing words trying to comfort his friend. Sasha held a hand to her mouth, tears falling down her cheeks. The rest of us remained dumbfounded at the scene.

Hesitantly, Tyreese brought Allen to his feet to bring him away and lean him against another wall - away from the bloodied scene. Sasha joined the pair, though was hesitant to touch the sobbing man. Rick and Shane stepped forward then, eyeing up the scene we could not see and their faces instantly dropped and they spared no time walking away. Though I did not want to, I knew I would have to take a look. I approached the blood, as if my body had taken all control. When I rounded the corner, nothing could have prepared me for the scene of pure horror before me.

_Ben and Billy. _Their little bodies lay sprawled in their blood, a blunt contrast to the white washed tiles of the shower block. I felt sick immediately at the sight of it. Though what sickened me the most was the state their bodies were in. This wasn't a ruthless walker attack. _Oh no. _This was planned, calculated.

_Their heads were severed from their bodies. Sliced clean off. _

No, this was not the work of a mindless creature that feasted on human flesh, who was dead to the world of the living. This was the work of a living, breathing human. One who was just as frightening as the dead that hunted our flesh. One who was capable of killing two innocent children - who had nothing but hope for the future, who were so ignorant to the death in the world.

This was the work of a living human being. _A member of the group?_

I turned away to brace myself against the wall, trying not to heave, but unsuccessful. No words were spoken for a long time, only Allen and Sasha's sobbing echoed against the tiles. I pressed my face against the wall, trying to press the images of those poor _victims _that lay a mere few feet away out of my head, but failing.

"Who did this?" Allen asked quietly, _broken_. His voice startled the concentration I was taking with breathing and I turned myself around to look at the group, my eyes avoiding the massacre in the corner of my vision. "Who the fuck did this to _my_ _children?_" Rick glanced around, meeting Shane's and Daryl's gazes before shaking his head.

"I don't know." He muttered. "I'm not sure if we can look back at the footage either, we don't record from the cameras; we just use them to keep watch. We don't have the equipment to keep records." His tone was sincererly apologetic.

"We'll need to work out who was the last person in the shower block." Shane began, his tone official. "Sasha, you see anyone pass you by as you came here?" The woman shook her head, but it was in that moment that Tyreese's and my gaze met. Our thoughts identical.

"We did." I began slowly. "Tyreese and I, when we were on our way back from the kitchens, we passed-" I paused, as if I were hesitant in announcing the name to the room, branding them the perpetrator. I swallowed hard, trying to convince myself that telling Rick and the others who we'd seen was a good thing, but wondering if making an assumption was safe right now. Tyreese, however, did _not _hesitate.

"We passed Big Tiny on our way back to the cell block. He told us that he was heading for the showers." He said, evenly, with so much conviction.

Silence fell amongst us, Allen and Sasha's sobbing having stopped to listen to the conversation. Brains began to tinkle, thoughts began to unwind, assumptions were being made. All the while, I wondered if Tyreese and I had made a mistake. _Surely not though? _

"I'm going to kill him." Allen stated suddenly, his tone cold. No one could stop him as he was instantly on his feet and had sprinted from the shower blocks, without Tyreese having chance to restrain him.

We were stunned for a moment before Tyreese lead the procession out, chasing after Allen, begging him to stop. Though all that was given in reply was the strangled yelps of a blood-thirty father, out to avenge his massacred children. We watched Allen round the corner and scream for the door to be open. Probably confusing his urgency as a walker attack, T-Dog opened the door and Allen burst through. The rest of us followed.

The scene before us was that of manic.

Allen had charged at the big inmate, not caring about the clear competition in size, and had tackled him to the ground and had proceeded to throw fist after fist at the startled prisoner's face. Tyreese moved forward in an instant when Allen brought out a knife, aiming to plunge it through Big Tiny's skull, and Tyreese pulled Allen up, throwing the knife aside.

"Get the hell off of me!" Allen screamed, struggling against his friend's grip. Big Tiny sat up, observing the desperate man with a confused glare.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The big inmate demanded, getting to his feet. Instantly, Shane and Daryl had their weapons trained on the man, on Rick's orders.

"What the fuck is wrong with _you_?!" Shane hissed back, butting his shotgun into Big Tiny's chest. "You dare stand there and ask that, after you butchered his children?! Sliced their heads of and let them rot in the showers for everyone to see?!" Big Tiny's eyes widened at the words that were thrown at him.

"What?" Lori breathed, taking in the situation. She was ignored.

"You're accusing me of killing his children?" Big Tiny asked, quietly. "On what grounds?"

"You were seen going into the shower block." Shane muttered and Big Tiny scoffed.

"So sue me for trying to be clean!"

"And you do have an unhealthy history for _murder._" Shane's last comment hit Big Tiny hard and the man's face darkened as he glared at the ex-cop. "You fucking scum bag, you not gonna admit to what you've done?"

"I ain't done shit to admit to." Big Tiny hissed, stepping forward towards Shane and earning himself a crossbow aimed at his head.

"You have no right to do this." Andrew cut in suddenly. "You have no right to blame him with so little to go on!" The kid was regarded with disgust from a few of the men in the group. _Rightly so?_

"Rick!" Lori said, her eyes flaring towards her husband as she backed away from Big Tiny, urging Sophia and Carl along too. _Heck, everyone had backed away from him. _The prisoners all looked disgruntled by this and Big Tiny looked ready to kill. _Again perhaps? _His eyes fell towards Rick.

"What'll be officer?" He muttered. "You gonna execute me with so little evidence against me?" He raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"You killed my children, you fucking bastard! That's enough evidence!" Allen screamed, though was shoved back by Tyreese as he attempted to charge at the bigger man again. Rick eyed the man up silently, taking in the heavy stare that was directed at him from Big Tiny's direction. _Oh how, the group__'__s atmosphere had changed. _

"Take him away." Rick finally said. "Away from the group. Shane and Daryl, you both keep watch on him. We keep him locked up until we decide what to do with him." His tone was final, resigned.

The pair of them turned to Rick with astounded expression, neither seemingly wanting to comply with the request. They did though, with strained expressions and the rest of the group could only watch as Shane and Daryl shoved Big Tiny away, playing the active roles of his prison guards. The look Big Tiny regarded Rick with was a cold one, one that spoke so many volumes and yet surprisingly screamed the truth.

One look towards Allen's body collapsed on the floor, in a midst of sobs, was enough to convince me that Big Tiny was getting off lightly for what he had done and images of the decapitated children crept into my mind again. I held back the bile that arose in my throat.

_Their twisted bodies, so broken in their own blood. Such an unnatural sight and yet seemed to belong in this new world. This savagely horrifying world. _Those images would haunt me till the day I died.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Phew, this was a monster of a chapter! So much stuff happening! Hopefully I'd not imploded anyone's brains ;) _

_Well, where do I start? Tyreese and his group - yes, I guess everyone saw that coming. I know it isn't really in time with the show's events, but I'm mixing things up a bit. Tyreese's story about his daughter Julie and boyfriend Chris is based off the characters from the comics, as are Allen's children Ben and Billy - who are young children I believe in the comics, whereas there's only one of them, who is a lot older, in the TV show. Hopefully those who haven't read the comics are happy with this switch around. Basically, Tyreese's group is a blend of both the comic characters and the group from the show. __As for Ben and Billy's murders - I know it's sick, but that's another jibe at the comics. Big Tiny being blamed is also a mix from the comics, which will broaden on to another development which I think people will enjoy :) _

_What do you guys think of Rick willingly letting Tyreese's group stay? You think it was a wise decision? What about Ben and Billy's murders? The most important question though, do you think Big Tiny did it? _

_I could probably rant forever about this chapter, but I'll leave with a great big Thank You to all those who reviewed my previous chapter. I hope you're all still enjoying the ride and haven't left me yet ;) I'll get there with the Daryl/Ruby romance, I promise! Thanks again. _


	31. Chapter Thirty

_Chapter Thirty_

Allen's sobs echoed through the cell block, piercing sorrow through everyone in the group. Well, _most. _The inmates - disregarding Axel - were taking the situation grimly and appeared to show no sympathy towards the grieving father. _Sickening really. _Though the group barely knew Allen and his children, the loss was deafening. It was such an almighty blow to our stability. The two littlest members of the group had been murdered, _slaughtered, _in cold blood. Apparently by one we thought to be our own. _That screamed a lot about humanity. _

Big Tiny - the _accused - _had been positioned in a cell, cut off from everyone else. It was locked and secured and had at least one member of the group standing outside on guard. This situation was to remain as so until the bodies of Ben and Billy had been buried properly beside the grave of their mother out in the grass compound and a decision had been made regarding Big Tiny's involvement - and_ his fate_. The steady opinion amongst the group was that he was the killer, straight up without question. I, however, had my doubts. _A worrying thought?_

I observed Big Tiny's cell from a safe distance, my thoughts wandering around the predicament the group had found themselves in. '_Predicament__'__ being the most insensitive word imaginable to describe the loss Allen had to adapt to. _Yes, Tyreese and I had witnessed Big Tiny going to the shower block before the murders _apparently_ took place, but that couldn't just automatically make him the killer- _Could it?_

At the moment, T-Dog was on watch and was doing a very good job at pissing Big Tiny off. On purpose, T-Dog seemed to be rambling on about nonsense, agitating the prisoner whenever he ignored Big Tiny's demands to 'shut up'. I smirked a little at my friend's grim humour before making my way over.

"You want me to take over a little while?" I suggested, ignoring the look Big Tiny directed towards me. T-Dog shrugged, carelessly.

"Might as well, he's about as much fun to talk to as Daryl can be on the topic of women." When I raised an eyebrow T-Dog rolled his eyes. "_Dull_ would be the word I was describing." I smiled a little and nodded. T-Dog patted my back in appreciation before sauntering away to do whatever it was that he did. I watched my friend leave before taking a seat on the ground in front of the cell. The prisoner inside watched my movements like a predator watched his kill. _Unnervingly so. _

"So-" I began with a sigh.

"So you're the one who ratted me out to the big man?" Big Tiny cut in before I had the chance to sprout a conversation starter. I frowned for a moment. _Huh? _

"I didn't 'rat' anyone out." I muttered. "Tyreese and I just told the group what we saw. We _saw_ you walk to the shower block - the place Ben and Billy were," I stuttered over the word, swallowing hard. "Were killed. So we told them that." I narrowed my eyes at the man.

"Well, I thank you so very much for that." Big Tiny replied, bitterly. _I expected this_.

"You have yet to prove your innocence yet."

"I have yet to be proven _guilty_." Big Tiny countered, a sneer on his lips. I raised an eyebrow at this and sighed.

"Look, whilst the others have you set on being the killer, I'm not so sure." Big Tiny snorted and raised a sarcastic eyebrow to counter mine.

"And why is that?" He muttered. I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment.

"Because you're right; just because you went to the shower block, doesn't make you automatically the killer. We have no solid evidence and the jib Shane made about your convictions is hardly meaningful."

"It means enough for you all to condemn me the killer of those boys." Big Tiny pointed out, narrowing his eyes. "I killed before because I had _reason_. Give me one reason for me to kill his kids." A pause and Big Tiny sneered. "You people have none. You pointed the finger at me because I'm the easiest suspect to blame."

"Do you have any idea on who it _actually _is then?" I asked. Big Tiny shrugged.

"If I did, do you really think I'd tell you people?" _I guess not. _Big Tiny's gaze wandered away, towards where the majority of the group was gathered; discussing his fate.

"We're rationalising what we're going to do," I tried to explain. "They won't just condemn you without a fair trial."

"Oh goody, another trial." Big Tiny muttered, sarcastically. "Last time I was in one, girl, I landed myself in here. Trials and I don't go well together."

"Considering you'd probably be dead if you weren't in here, I'd imagine killing your partner and her lover was a good move on your behalf. Perhaps the trial did you a favour?" I retorted, easily, causing Big Tiny to grin.

"Yeah, landed me in this God forsaken place with a bunch of hot-headed morons who want me dead."

"Better that than dead morons who want to rip you apart." I countered with a shrug and Big Tiny chuckled, leaning back on the bed he had positioned himself on. "Look, if you have any idea on who did it, it would really aid your case."

"You sound like my old lawyer." Big Tiny muttered, raising an eyebrow and I shrugged.

"I'm just trying to help." I offered. Big Tiny studied me for a moment.

"Why?" He asked carefully. "For all you know, I could have killed those boys." I sighed.

"I believe you at least deserve a chance." I admitted. "Be given the opportunity as you would have done in a civilised society." I paused. "But of course, this isn't exactly a civilised society anymore, so it's going to be tricky." Big Tiny eyed me for a moment before glancing back towards the group with a jut of his head.

"Don't think your boyfriend will be all too pleased if he knew you were saying all this." He muttered, his eyes still remained on the group. _Boyfriend? _I frowned, glancing at the group and catching Daryl's eye as he stared at Big Tiny's and my interaction.

"He isn't my boyfriend." I corrected, with a sigh. Big Tiny's gaze returned to me with a smirk.

"Whatever."

"Hey Ruby!" _Speak of the devil. _

"Ahh, so he's the demanding type, huh? Kinda reminds me of me. Don't go fucking no one else or you may find yourself a few feet under with a couple of dozen stab wounds in your chest." I raised an eyebrow at Big Tiny's blunt remark.

"I'll keep that in mind." I muttered, getting to my feet and making my way towards where Daryl was stood aside from the group. His gaze was firmly fixed on Big Tiny's cell until I was only a metre in front of him, to which his darkened gaze directed itself towards me.

"Ya shouldn't be gettin' friendly with him." Daryl muttered.

"Can't help it, it seems I'm drawn to the bad people of this world." When Daryl raised an eyebrow, I sighed. "Y'know; the Governor, Laurent, you Dixon boys-" I paused to smirk. Daryl returned it briefly before glancing back towards Big Tiny.

"Ya don't think he did it, do ya?" I shook my head, glad for times like this when I could confide in the hunter. "Neither do I." I raised an eyebrow at this. "Just doesn't fit, does it? I mean, yeah the bloke's in for murder, but he's not half as bad as what we make him out to be. He's never lied to us, or anythin' like that." He paused, glancing over his shoulder, checking no one was in earshot. "Guess that means the killer is still among us."

"Who do you think it is?" I muttered, keeping my voice low. Daryl sighed.

"I have my suspicions, but I ain't gonna make no assumptions." He told me, glancing at Big Tiny briefly before returning his gaze to me again. "Assumptions landed us in this mess." I nodded once.

"What are they going to do with him?" I asked, meaning Rick and the 'jury'. Daryl scoffed.

"There's talk of keepin' him under constant watch; give him another sentence for his 'crime'. Another idea is to dodge the bullshit 'nd just get the man to death row. Execute him 'nd be done with it." Daryl sighed.

"That isn't fair." I pointed out.

"No it ain't." Daryl agreed. "But it's a valid option at the moment." His gaze softened then and his eyebrows burrowed as he studied me. "How are ya copin'? After seein'-" Daryl trailed off and I shuddered at the memories of the boys' bodies lying on the cold, hard ground in their own blood.

"Trying not to think about it." I admitted and Daryl bowed his head a little, sheepishly.

"Sorry." He muttered and I smiled a little as his bashfulness.

"You don't have to apologise." I told him and Daryl held my gaze for a long moment before glancing over my shoulder towards Big Tiny's cell again.

"Ya want me to take over or are ya alright?" Daryl asked, nodding his head in the prisoner's direction. I shook my head.

"I'll be fine. I'm going to talk to him some more, see what else I can get from him." I replied, Daryl nodded. "I'll report back what I can, Doctor Watson. Don't worry, we'll crack this case." Daryl smiled and laughed, sending my heart fluttering a little. Dark memories clouded my mind in an instant and my smile faded. "We shouldn't laugh at times like this." I muttered, down-heartedly. "It's disrespectful."

"We _should.__"_ Daryl countered. "Otherwise what the fuck would happen to us? If we don't make light of the situation then there ain't much point. Gotta believe there's hope left at times like this." I smiled a little.

"You sound like him." I breathed, barely audible, but Daryl heard. _Him. Yes, Daryl knew exactly who I meant. _The hunter frowned a little, and we shared a mutual silence as we looked back on memories of a man we both knew, who had impacted both our lives in completely different ways. _One innate - brotherly, one learnt - friendship. _"I miss him." I muttered before I could stop myself and I didn't truly believe the statement until I uttered the words. _Who__'__d have thought I__'__d actually miss the likes of Merle Dixon? _Daryl's gaze softened and he nodded stiffly, the action speaking for him regardless of the lack of words.

_So did he._

* * *

_They were good people. _

I had convinced myself of this after three days with Morgan and Duane. After having come to learn that they held no inner motives in helping me, they merely just _helped, _I then came to another conclusion.

_I brought the badness with me. _

I hadn't seen Laurent for a while, but I knew he'd find me sooner or later. Despite having attempted to cover all tracks I could, the man still managed to find me sooner or later. And if he found me with Morgan and Duane-

_I had put them in danger. _

Eyeing the father and son curiously over the dinner table, I had long made my decision. All that was left to do was announce it to my hosts. The warmth of their hospitality irked me, longed for me to stay, but I knew what must be done. _I would not let them die because of me. _If I remained with them, they would die. Laurent would catch up on us and I did not want to think about what he'd do if he found me in company. My last host - the man holding up in the barn - was a big enough warning.

With a inward sigh, I brought up the courage to do it, hating the decision but knowing it was for the best. _The best for Morgan and Duane. _

"I'm leaving."

* * *

The guard tower was an unusually eerie place to be, but that may have been due to the fact I was the only person outside the prison at the current moment in time. Watch duty had been cut down from two people, to one person now and a walkie talkie was provided to communicate to whoever was in the security room. I felt better to know that T-Dog would only be on the other end if I needed him. I wasn't so alone then.

Inside, the group were resting. A decision on Big Tiny still had not been made yet but some of the group were getting increasingly uncomfortable with his presence after the incident with Ben and Billy. Allen had gone into a deep state of mourning and Tyreese and Sasha remained with him most of the time - in fear he'd try something rash. _We were all worried for him. _

The sky was dimming and darkness was falling. A slight breeze hit the side of the guard tower and kept me steadily cool as I observed the grounds from my vantage point above. I was in for a lonely, _boring, _night ahead, I just knew it.

A creaking sound to my right caught my attention and I looked towards the prison to see a figure leaving through the door and making their way across the yard towards me. I frowned in thought, expecting it to be Daryl, though the figure's movements didn't match the hunters. _Too much swag. _As it was just falling dark, I couldn't actually make out who they were but their movements were bringing them towards me so I gathered I'd find out soon enough.

I was surprised enough when Thomas appeared, leaning against the tower beside me, apparently not taking in my confused expression or even my presence for a moment.

"Nice night, huh?" He muttered which dazed me even more. I glanced awkwardly around before sighing.

"Suppose it is." I agreed, forcefully. _Why was he here? _I felt some mild discomfort towards his presence, but it wasn't enough to put me too much on edge. _I was armed anyway, if things got weird. _"Why aren't you inside?" He shrugged.

"Getting a bit crowded in there, chica." Thomas began. "And with the hype with Dexter, we inmates aren't the favourites in the prison at the moment." I studied him for a minute before nodding once.

"Well, I'm not going to be the best company so-"

"They should never have come." Thomas cut in suddenly and I raised an eyebrow. He wasn't looking at me though, merely staring out across the grounds. "This is _our _home, not theirs. They had no right to come in."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, slowly. Thomas's lips curled in a sneer. An almost animalistic snarl.

"_Them._" He hissed. "Those outsiders. They don't _belong _here!"

"We were outsiders too once." I reminded him with a frown. He thought for a moment.

"You guys are different. _You _let us out, _you _actually provide something. What do they provide? Some pathetic man who seems to be crying every damn minute - that's so _very_ productive, A peace keeper, a controlling bitch and a couple of snotty children." A pause. "Well, the children aren't a problem any more."

"How can you say that?" I cried, astounded. "Those children were murdered so cruelly, they were just little kids!" Thomas looked increasingly unbothered by this fact.

"Just a couple more mouths to feed is the way I see it, chica." He muttered, meeting my gaze for the first time with a weird look in his eye. I frowned some more. "Plus I don't see what all the fuss is about anyway, probably just killed by a stray walker."

"It wasn't a walker kill." I hissed. "I _saw._ It was definitely a living person who did that to those children." Thomas shrugged.

"But of course, pointing the blame at Tiny is the logical answer." He muttered.

"Allen has just lost his wife _and _his children. He deserves to know the truth on what happened to his boys and if that means trialing Big Tiny, then so be it."

"But _you_ don't think he did it." Thomas muttered, smugly. I raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think did it?" There was a moment of silence as Thomas' eyes pierced into mine and I noticed something so sinister lurking behind them. I tried to delve deep, startled by this hint of evil, but was distracted when the walkie talkie crackled.

"_Yo, Ruby?__" _T-Dog's voice cut through the air. Thomas glanced down at the offending item and sneered.

"I'm here, T-Dog." I replied, not taking my eyes off the inmate before me.

"_You seen Thomas anywhere? The asshole isn__'__t in his cell and I__'__ve lost him on the cameras.__" _Thomas sniggered when his name was mentioned.

"What good is he on watch if he can't even keep track of the group?" He muttered to himself, I glared at him.

"Yeah, I see him. He's out here taking a stroll." I informed T-Dog. There was a pause.

"_Everything cool over there?__" _T-Dog asked, hesitantly and I smiled a little.

"Everything's cool, T-Dog." I confirmed. "Is everyone else in the cell block?"

"_Sasha went to the showers a few minutes ago, but other than that yeah.__" _I thanked the man and the walkie talkie fell silent again. "Anything else you want to complain about? Because I think it's time you wandered back into your cell." Thomas burrowed his eyebrows and I studied the expression on his face for a moment before deciding I didn't like it. _Not that Thomas in general was someone I liked. _

"I think I'll leave you to it, chica. Got things to do." He muttered, glancing once at me before leaving abruptly. _No goodbye? _

I observed his figure pace across the yard with long, meaningful strides. There was something about him that just didn't feel right. The look in his eyes, the comments he made, his determination to leave. I frowned.

"Hey, T-Dog, Thomas is just on his way back inside now. He seemed a little off to me, so I'm going to follow him. Can you keep an eye out for me?" I asked, already making my way down the guard tower.

"_Sure thing.__" _T-Dog replied. I rushed across the grass compound, Thomas having already gone inside, and all but sprinted to the door. Ignoring the darkness, I made my way down the haunting corridors with the comforting knowledge that at least I had T-Dog above to help me through this suspicious inkling. _"__You want me to tell Rick or Daryl that something__'__s up?__"_

"No, not yet." I told him. "I'm not sure if it's anything, Thomas was just being weirder than normal."

"_The man__'__s always weird!__" _T-Dog's light tone said. _"__He__'__s just headed past Cell Block C. He__'__s on route back here.__" _Perhaps I'd gotten it wrong them? _"__Oh, wait, he__'__s walked right past the door.__"_ Maybe not then.

"Where's he now, T-Dog?" I jogged down the corridor and through Cell Block C. Glancing up at the cameras in the corner, I could imagine T-Dog's eyes scanning each monitor, tracking Thomas' every move.

"_When you get to our cell block, carry on down that corridor and go right.__" _T-Dog told me. _"__Hold up, the dude__'__s gone into the shower block.__"_

_Sasha. _

Things clicked in my mind and suddenly I had burst out into a sprint.

_They should never have come._

_This is our home, not theirs. They had no right to come in._

_Them. Those outsiders. They don__'__t belong here._

_I think I__'__ll leave you to it, chica. Got things to do._

The suspicious glints in his eyes, all the times I had seen him around the prison - muttering, lurking, whispering things to his fellow inmates. There had always been something off about him, _always. _Why hadn't anyone suspected him before?

I had no time to radio into T-Dog, I just sprinted as fast as I could to the shower blocks, hoping that perhaps my suspicions were incorrect. Though the shrill cry of surprise that echoed down the corridor - coming from the showers - took away the hope and I burst into the room quickly.

Thomas had a half-dressed Sasha pinned against the tilled wall by the throat. His face was that of manic, one of pure hatred as he squeezed the life out of the helpless woman. Sasha herself struggled but Thomas' grip must have been too hard and she choked to breath. After a moment of shocked hesitation, I quickly lurched forward and shoved hard against Thomas and he staggered away from Sasha. The woman collapsed to the floor, choking and trying to gather her breath back. Thomas turned to me, a murderous glint in his eye.

"Back off." I hissed, raising the rifle towards him as a threat. Thomas merely sneered and suddenly wretched the weapon from my hands and threw it to the floor. I eyed him in terror and backed up a little, his gaze belittling me. There was something so inhumane about them.

He made a go at Sasha again and I charged forward instinctively, though Thomas shoved me aside with so much force I staggered back and fell to the floor. Looking up, I expected him to attack me, though he did nothing. He saved one glance for my direction before going at Sasha again, in which I intervened _again_.

This time, I landed myself a heavy boot to the face and I fell back, my vision dazed. I could only hear the sounds of Sasha's strangled breath again followed quickly then by a sharp - _masculine -_ cry and a thud. Silence followed on and I attempted to sit up and focus. My eyes glazed for a moment and I raised a hand to my face. Finally, I gained vision and I saw my fingers coated with blood. _Mine no doubt. _

"Ruby?" T-Dog's voice asked, the man crouching down in front of me. He winced when he caught sight of my face. "Jesus, man, we're gonna have to get you to Herschel." I frowned, touching my face again and hissing in pain when touching my nose.

"I think he broke it." I muttered with distaste, only to remember instantly. "Sasha?"

"She's alive." T-Dog nodded. "I knocked Thomas out though." I glanced over his shoulder and saw the man lay sprawled on the floor and winced a snort. "C'mon lets get you back to the cell block."

"Check Sasha, she'll need it more." I replied, taking T-Dog's hand in helping me up. The man helped Sasha up, who looked ready to collapse and who was barely walking. Thomas had knocked a lot of air our of her. T-Dog helped the woman to walk and I trotted behind, a little dazed, but otherwise fine.

"We're gonna have to lock that somehow. Don't want him getting out." T-Dog muttered, gesturing to the shower room door. I closed them behind us and make shifted securing it using my jacket. "It'll buy us time to tell the others." T-Dog shrugged, before leading Sasha down the corridor. "What the hell happened?"

"He came to the guard tower, started saying all this weird stuff about Tyreese and the others. Said they shouldn't be here." I told him. "He left saying he had to 'go do something'. Found him trying to choke the life out of Sasha." There was a pause, the silence overruled with Sasha's wheezy breathing.

"You think he did it?" T-Dog asked. "This children-" He trailed off and I swallowed hard.

"I don't know." I admitted. "But this seemed pretty fucking suspicious if you ask me."

We reached the cell block and I opened the door for T-Dog, supporting Sasha. It was empty and I expected everyone was in their cells resting. I sighed, not really wanting to break into the peace of the evening.

"Hey! Everyone wake the fuck up!" T-Dog hollered, his voice echoing. "Need medical attention down here! Herschel, man get your ass up!" I raised an eyebrow but bit back a smirk when the group emerged from their cells due to T-Dog's calls, setting eyes on the three of us and rushing over.

"What happened?" Rick demanded, his eyes glancing between the three of us. Tyreese quickly rushed to his sister's side.

"Is she alright?" He asked, taking Sasha's weight from T-Dog and taking her to sit down on a nearby bench. Herschel took Rick's right, glancing between Sasha and myself.

"See her first." I nodded at the other woman. Herschel eyed my face for a moment before nodding bluntly and stepping to the brother and sister's side.

"Thomas jumped on Sasha in the showers." T-Dog announced, glancing at me. "Ruby followed him, tried to restrain him, he did that to her face."

"Where's the son of a bitch now?" Shane muttered, darkly, folding his arms across his large chest.

"He's unconscious still over in the showers." T-Dog told him. Rick's eyes glanced between us both. "The bastard's a psycho, Rick."

"The bitch must have had it coming." Andrew's voice cut in suddenly. In a instant though, Tyreese was up and had the inmate pinned up against a wall, hissing in his face.

"You better watch what you say, man!" Tyreese cried. The rest of us were a little astonished by the usually calm man's change in character, though he was pulled away by Daryl and Shane.

"You two better start talking." Rick muttered, glancing between Andrew and Axel. "Did you have any involvement in this attack? Do you know why the hell he attacked her?"

"The fuck should we know for?" Andrew cried, looking a little dishevelled from being shoved against the wall. Axel shuffled awkwardly, though Daryl shoved the man roughly forward when he tried to shrink back, before glaring dangerously at him.

"You're quite chummy with him." Rick sneered. "You tell us right now what the fuck he was doing before we assume you're both involved!" To prove a point, Rick raised his pistol and aimed it at Andrew's head. The kid raised his hands.

"Woah, buddy!" He cried. "There's no need for that! We don't know anything! Honest! It's just Thomas being Thomas, ain't got anything to do with us!" Judging by the look on Rick's face, he didn't believe him and the ex-cop cocked back the gun, aiming it between both of them now, making Andrew flinch.

"He planned it!" Axel cut in suddenly. Andrew glanced awkwardly at his fellow inmate before his expression turned sour. Axel didn't appear to notice and continued when Rick aimed his gun at his head. "And the two boys too. Said that these people had no right coming here, moving in here. Said they should leave and if you weren't going to do it then he'd deal with the problem. He wanted us to help too but we-"

"What?" Allen appeared suddenly. "What did you say about my children?" He grabbed the front of Axel's jumpsuit when the man stuttered over his answer, the father snarling in the man's face. "Tell me!"

"He did it!" Axel cried, cutting silence through the room. "Thomas killed your boys!"

Though the change in accused didn't really alter too dramatically, the idea of it being someone else entirely clearing set the group on edge. Not to mention that Axel's confession brought back memories and thoughts of the dead children that were still too painful to consider. Allen's face shattered a little and he backed away from Axel.

"Lets kill him, Rick." Shane cut in, bluntly. "There ain't anymore time for that fucker, not now." Rick paused, glancing at the prisoners. Andrew's face had turned blank, whilst Axel's had shifted back to nervousness again.

"Shane, T-Dog and Daryl with me." Rick announced finally. "Andrea you provide us with eyes from the monitors. Glenn and Maggie, lock Axel and Andrew up in their cells until we're back. Don't let them out _whatsoever.__" _He paused. "We bring Thomas back _alive.__"_

"Alive?" Shane hissed. "Man, what the fuck-?!"

"I want to hear what he has to say." Rick muttered, glaring at his friend. The pair stared each other down before Shane backed off. Rick glanced toward Tyreese.

"I'll keep an eye on things." Tyreese nodded, his eyes turning to his mourning friend. Rick nodded his thanks before making his way towards the door.

I handed Andrea the walkie talkie and T-Dog patted my back before joining Rick as quickly everyone rushed off to their duties. Daryl passed me, pausing before he joined them to study my face. I flinched a bit at the intensity, imagining that I probably looked a state with blood dripping down my face and a busted nose. _Not the best look. _

"Is it that bad?" I asked when Daryl's face darkened. The hunter frowned.

"If Rick didn't want him alive, I'd kill that fucker for what he did to ya." Daryl muttered, gravely, before making his way towards the doors out and following Rick to seek out Thomas.

I paused for a moment, taking in Daryl's statement. Frowning, I relived the intensity of his words, only to be cut away when Herschel beckoned me over, telling me that he was going to take a look at my face.

Herschel scorned me a little for seeking Thomas out, stating I should have known better than to go after a dangerous man such as Thomas. I snorted a little - which hurt - and replied that I never really deemed Thomas as dangerous until now. This probably wasn't the answer Herschel was looking for, but he cleaned my nose up and told me that it wasn't broken but it would be sore for a while_. _He said that there seemed to already have been injury before, which was why the pain was so intense. I concluded to tell him then about the time one of the men in the Governor's group punched me in the face and I was left in a similar state I was in now. The dark look on Herschel's face spoke volumes and the farmer said he'd try find pain killers for me.

Sasha still seemed to remain in daze, though was recovering quickly, and expressed her thanks to me when she was retold the story. I had never seen the normally moody woman look so sincere and I smiled bashfully when she carried on her thank you.

I eyed the three cells that the prisoners were kept in, under Glenn and Maggie's watch, and found distaste towards them unintentionally. It was still uncertain whether they had any involvement in what happened to Ben and Billy, but it seemed now that accusing Big Tiny so brashly was quite a stupid thing to do. _I knew I was right by not suspecting him! _And I wondered if we'd pay for that mistake.

No talking went on in the cell block as we waited for the men to return with Thomas in anticipation. Allen's stiff sniffs echoed on occasion and I eyed up the man sat on the bench a few metres away as Tyreese whispered words of console in his ear. The sight of the man made me ill with grief. Though death was so common in our lives now, the way the events that took his family away from him occurred just tugged at the heart strings and the horrifying images of his children still played on my mind.

A commotion was heard outside of the cell block and it wasn't really hard to guess what was approaching. _Or who._ In an instant, Rick had flung the cell block door open with such extreme force that it clattered loudly, echoing throughout the block. Shane and T-Dog dragged a struggling Thomas into the cell block, furious expressions on each of their faces. Daryl trailed behind, shutting and securing the door once everyone was inside. Shane's nose was bleeding heavily as mine had done, which I gathered down to Thomas. Otherwise though, the other three hadn't sustained any damage, though Thomas also looked considerably beaten up.

The man was thrown to the floor, to which he didn't stand up, merely remained kneeling, looking up at us all. His eyes fell on me and he smirked.

"Nice face, chica." He sniggered, only to be silenced when Daryl took a hard swing with his fist, knocking Thomas' face with such force that there was an almost satisfying crunch. "You broke my nose, asshole!"

"That's for Ruby; ya even now." Daryl muttered, simply. I felt a swell of admiration as Daryl stood up for me, though he had done so frequently in the past. This recent stand up seemed different from the rest and the small smile Daryl gave me when he looked up only made my heart flutter and I forgot all about the pain in my face.

"Ain't this cosy." Thomas glanced around the group gathered in the area. "Where's Andrew and Axel?"

"That doesn't concern you right now." Rick hissed, stepping in front of the kneeling man. Thomas eyed the ex-cop with a sickening grin.

"Go ahead and ask me, officer." He sniggered. Rick's eyes narrowed but it was Allen's voice that cut through next.

"Did you kill them?" He asked, his voice shaky. "Did you kill my boys?" There was a moment of silence as Thomas paused, eyeing the man from his place on the floor before his smirk grew larger - if that was possible.

"You should keep a better eye on your children." He began slowly. "They were alone in the shower block when I found them - _convenient. _It was also convenient that you guys hadn't told them I was a prisoner here, a criminal. They trusted me instantly, thinking I was just an ordinary member of the group. _Pathetic.__" _He paused to eye everyone, make sure they were listening. "They went out squealing. I don't know which I killed first but his brother was practically begging for his daddy when I'd done. I let him have time to take in his mangled brother before I did the same to him. _They suffered, I made sure. _It's a shame really." His words sent a shivered atmosphere through the air and no one even bothered to restrain Allen when the man leapt forward and sent a few firm fists into Thomas' face. The man just took it with a smile though and that sickened us all even more so.

"You son of a bitch!" Allen screamed, allowing Tyreese to restrain him when the man finally stepped forward to. "I hope you rot in hell, you fucker!" Thomas laughed a giddy laugh in response.

"Why?" Lori asked quietly, holding Sophia and Carl close to her. They were stood at the back, but still observed the commotion. "Why would you do such a cruel thing?" Thomas turned to her and spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

"Because they shouldn't have come here." He hissed. "They had no right to stay."

"So you what? Planned to kill them all off?" Shane countered and Thomas shrugged.

"Pretty much, yeah." He muttered, his eyes turning to me in an instant. "Of course, until that plan fell through." Rick snorted.

"Yeah, it's safe to say _all_ your plans have fallen through now." He said, stiffly, eyeing the man on the ground with a tilt of the head. Thomas raised an eyebrow and shrugged again.

"Killing the kids first had provided enough tragedy to wipe out a huge chunk." Thomas continued. "Pretty sure Daddy's a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of time before the sad fuck kills himself. Two birds with one stone, I say." Rick eyed the man with distaste.

"You're one sick bastard, you know that?" Shane muttered, incredulously. Thomas turned to him with a sneer.

"And _you__'__re _not?" He countered, halting Shane dead for a moment. There was a moment of stunned silence before Shane brought himself back together and glared at the man again. "I did you people a favour! Less people, more for ourselves!" Rick raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's safe to say that you're not part of the group anymore." He sneered. "We will provide you _nothing. _It's _you _that has no right to be here now." Thomas frowned.

"So, what you going to do? Sentence me to life in prison like you were going to do Tiny? Kick me out?" A pause. "Kill me?" When no one answered, Thomas just laughed. "You wouldn't have the balls to do it anyway, officer. You're _weak_. You think you're such a good leader, but if you were doing your job properly then those _outsiders _wouldn't be here! You should have made them leave, take their chances out there!"

"Charming." Tyreese muttered, folding his arms across his large chest, leaving Allen unrestrained and seething. "So please tell me what you planned to do next. You tried to strangle Sasha, how would you have taken on Allen and myself?"

"Just because you're a big man, doesn't mean you're indestructible." Thomas sneered. "I'd have taken away your remaining family, just as I did to Allen; pretty sure you would have cracked. I mean, suicide seems to be quite common in your family. Julie right? Was that her name?" The mention of Tyreese's daughter darkened the man's expression and Thomas sniggered. "If you wish to have a private conversation you should check no one's around before you do." _So he__'__s been eavesdropping too._ "And Allen the same, though I also envisioned maybe making him go squealing - just like his boys did. Those pathetic little boys-"

Thomas didn't get any further. With the rage building up inside Allen, practically seeping over the top, the man appeared to have cracked under the inmate's words. He was on Thomas again in an instant though now he had a knife in hand. No one could stop him as he plunged the blade right into Thomas's chest, causing the man to scream in shocking pain. Allen cried with rage and Tyreese heaved his friend away, though the damage had been done.

The group stepped back a moment, considering the injured man. Medical attention could be given, Herschel would have to work efficiently, but the wound could be dealt with. Thomas could be spared for what he had done and his fate could be considered in a more civilised way. Everyone eyed Rick, waiting for his decision. Our leader gazed long at Allen, studying the sobbing man, before turning back to Thomas. The inmate raised his gaze with a smug smirk, which instantly faded when Rick raised his pistol and aimed it at Thomas' head.

_Bang._

Thomas' body fell limp to the floor, blood seeping out onto the hard ground. Allen's fell to his knees, groaning and crying for his lost children and wife and the exhaustion of everything. The rest of us gazed at the scene before us, uncertain about what had just taken place. It was an _execution_ that was for sure. And we were witnesses of it.

"T-Dog, Daryl, take the body outside and burn it." Rick's calculated voice spoke. Our leader pocketed his weapon again and took one last look at the body before walking away from the scene, towards the three cells that contained the remaining prisoners.

I took one last look at the body of Thomas before walking away too, suddenly feeling sick.

* * *

"You don't have to." Morgan tried, gently. "You're welcome to stay with us." I shook my head with a sad smile.

"I don't want to be a burden any longer." I told them both. _I__'__m trying to help you here. _

"You're not a burden!" I shook my head again, unconvinced. My stuff was already packed and I was ready to leave. Goodbyes were the only thing left stopping me. "You can't honestly want to go out there alone."

"I've done it before." I admitted. "I've gotten use to it." I patted Toby's head before shrugging. "I won't be alone anyway, Toby's always going to be with me." The father eyed me for a few moments before sighing.

"We can't convince you to stay?" He tried, though the tone said he knew it was all in vain. I shook my head _yet again. _

"Thank you for your hospitality anyway." I said, warmly. Morgan smiled and he and Duane helped me unbar the door so I could leave. Morgan paused before unlocking it, disappearing into the kitchen before coming back and handing me a bag.

"Food." He explained. "The least we can offer." I smiled my gratitude, glancing between the pair of them.

"Stay safe." I told them, firmly.

"You too." Morgan nodded, putting an arm around Duane and opening the door slowly for me with his other. "Maybe we'll see each other again some day?" I smiled and shrugged. _The hopeful thought was nice. _

"You never know."

* * *

There was a hesitation before Rick let the prisoners out of their cells. When they were told of Thomas' death, Andrew was livid. He shouted, screamed but was restrained and intimidated, usually by the likes of Shane. Axel was quiet, observing the blood stain on the prison floor that belonged to Thomas with a thoughtful expression, though he did make one comment;

"It was for the best." He nodded.

Big Tiny regarded the group with a heavy stare as he was finally let out of his confinement. He snorted when told about Thomas and sneered at our suspicions against him.

"Don't I get an apology for having the finger pointed at?" Big Tiny asked, folding his arms across his chest. Shane scoffed.

"You will when you prove you're trust-worthy." He replied. Big Tiny's mood darkened and he said no more. Though there was a change in his mood, his demeanour. An over-powering, heavy change which put me on edge. _Perhaps accusing an innocent man had cost us? _

Despite being apparently innocent regarding the murders of the boys, the prisoners were all kept under close watch and this still continued a couple of weeks since the Thomas' death. Big Tiny's mood hadn't altered in all that time either and I would observe the man from a distance, wondering what was going on in his mind sometimes.

Allen ploughed on with life, thanks to Tyreese's and Sasha's support. The man was clearly very sombre and tried to isolate himself whenever he could, but the brother and sister would keep him a float and keep him grounded to reality. I knew they feared the possibility of Allen attempting to 'opt out' and that was why they kept themselves busy watching over him. Though I wondered sometimes if they were suffocating him with their protectiveness.

A run into a nearby town provided excitement for the group from our daily boring activities. Though food supply was more than adequate, other essentials, medical being top priority with Lori's growing belly and perhaps gas for the cars if we could incase a getaway from the prison was required. So, Rick decided a run out would be needed and the group going was decided.

Rick had decided to leave Daryl behind this time - a change since the hunter usually occupanied Rick on all run outs. Daryl didn't complain though and Rick said Daryl and Herschel would be in charge until he got back. Rick was obviously going, as was Shane. Tyreese offered himself forward, wishing to provide for the group, to which Rick allowed. Andrea, Glenn and myself were also chosen to go and that concluded the group going.

The red Chevrolet was the chosen vehicle, though would be a squeeze for six of us. Shane and Rick up front, Tyreese and Andrea on the back seat, with Glenn and myself sat in the large boot space.

"No one goes wandering off while we're gone." Rick announced to the group as we gathered around the car to go. "Limit yourselves between outside and the cell block. We shouldn't be more than a few hours."

Lori held her husband goodbye, wishing him a safe journey and Rick patted Carl's head affectionately before muttering commands to Daryl. Goodbyes were brief and not meaningful - like Rick said, we expected to be back in a few hours. I merely kissed Sophia's head and smiled down at the girl, telling her to be good for Lori.

"Be careful." Daryl muttered to me before I could get into the car with the others. I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Always am, aren't I?" I countered. "_You _be careful too." To this, T-Dog flung an arm over Daryl's shoulder.

"S'alright, Ruby, I'll take good care of him for you!" He sniggered when Daryl shrugged out of his grip and I laughed.

"See you when I get back." I smiled once more at Daryl, who strained a smile in return, before jumping into the back of the Chevrolet with Glenn.

The town we came across looked to be a wreck. Walkers roamed the streets and we did our best to avoid them. There weren't many of them - not too many to handle - but they would be a pain and we only wanted to get what we needed and head back to the prison as quickly as possible.

Glenn and I took the nearby pharmacy, shoving everything we could that wasn't looted into our bags.

"Not sure this will be any use for Herschel." Glenn muttered, hoarding sanitary towels and tampons alike into his bag. I snorted.

"I'm sure we'll find use for them." I replied, throwing various tubs of medicine from behind the counter into mine. "Hey Glenn, fancy some gum?" I held up an unopened packet that I had found on the rack on top of the counter. It was cherry flavour, not a favourite of mine, but one I could live with. The sight of the sweet made me miss the world before this one and miss the little things that we wouldn't have given a thought on before the outbreak. Glenn raised his head before walking over.

"Reckon we can still eat it?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It's gum, don't suppose it's got such a short expiry date." I offered the gum to which Glenn accepted, putting it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "So?"

"Tastes weird." He replied. "Though I can't actually remember the last time I chewed gum." I chuckled and placed a piece in my mouth.

"Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

Once we had finished in the pharmacy, we left and headed back to the car, where we'd been told to meet the others. Andrea and Shane were there already when we got there and I felt obliged to offer the pair some gum too.

"I hate gum." Andrea muttered, chewing some. I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged at my silent question. "Feels like rubber when I chew it. But after not eating junk in so long, it feels good to have something different in my mouth for a change." Her comment sent Glenn and Shane into a fit of childish giggles and Andrea glared at the two men, not realising the way her comment sounded. I let myself smile too, wondering how easy the day felt.

Rick and Tyreese came back about ten minutes later and everyone was back in the Chevrolet again for the ride home.

It was weird how calm the day had been. How easy and unstressful the run out from the prison had been for us all. As a group, we felt chilled, as if the day had just been a day out event. Little conversation was thrown amongst our small group, but it didn't feel needed. We seemed content with watching the world pass by and chewing our gum.

Though, as we were approaching the prison, the mood in the car suddenly felt uneasy. Before even setting eyes on it, there just didn't seem to be something right. _Something blared, muffled, in the background noise_. What it was, I couldn't place. The reason why became evident when we pulled into sight of the prison and drove towards the gates - expecting them to be opened ready for us, but instead no one seemed to be there present to do so.

_The yard of the grounds were overrun. _Walkers had spilled out and were staggering around the concrete yard of the prison, not reaching the grass compound due to the shut gates. This provided no comfort though as there didn't seem to be a single member of the group in sight.

A deafening sound filled the air, attracting more walkers from probably miles around. It sounded like the prison alarm, ringing out and piercing through you like a knife. This combined with the state of the prison sent the small group of us into shock.

_The prison was overrun with walkers, the alarms were ringing and none of the group were in sight - their safety unknown._

"Oh my God."

* * *

_(Author's Note): I'm getting better at updating sooner! Is the ending starting to look a little familiar? ;) _

_So Thomas is dead - thought it was best not to drag things out too long. And I suppose it wasn't such a big surprise that he killed the kids, but well done to all those who guessed right! All those who thought Shane, I actually reconsidered after the suggestions because it actaully seemed quite a good idea to play with. But alas, I stay true to my original plan! What did you guys think to the demise of Thomas? And the prisoners reactions? _

_So what about the ending? Walkers have overrun the yard, the group's broken... starting to look familiar? Anyone want to guess what's happened, how the walkers got in, why the alarm is going off? Where the rest of the group is and if they're all alive? So many questions! _

_Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, they meant a lot! Please tell me what you thought of this one. I'll update as soon as possible. _


	32. Chapter Thirty One

_Chapter Thirty One_

In was manic.

We wasted little hesitation getting inside the prison - which took time itself as we had to open the gates without letting the walkers, that were gathering outside, inside. Once inside though, we all jumped out of the car and Rick sprinted into the grass compound and up the hill towards the yard, with the rest of us in quick pursuit.

_The others. _

Imaginable things were running through my head as we raced towards the yard. Them all being overrun by walkers without warning, the creatures attacking from behind, sinking their teeth in, ripping their flesh-

_Oh God Sophia. _

Rick stopped in front of the gates, his eyes frantically searching the yard. The rest of us joined him, us all observing the chaos in front of us. Somehow the walkers that had been locked in the gate at the opposite side had gotten through. Even from this distance, the gate was visibly wide open. _How did it open? _The alarm echoed out, ringing through our ears but due to the crisis at hand, it didn't phase us all as much as expected.

"We need to shut that gate and clear out this yard." Rick ordered, sternly, raising his knife.

"That's a whole lot of walkers." Glenn muttered, swallowing hard, but regardless produced his machete and eyed the situation at hand with uneasiness.

"Ruby take this." Rick handed me a strip of cable that we had been using to secure gates and doors. "You're in charge of securing the door." _Great. _"Andrea, you cover her back. Everyone else take out the walkers, look out for each other. Got it?" When we all nodded with understanding, Rick wasted no time in opening the gate and charging in. We ploughed after him.

I dodged the rotting hands, with a few close calls, but Andrea kept my back and brains were exploding from all directions. I ignored the threat of using up our supply of ammo - we had an armoury after all - and shot as many of them as I could before reaching the gates. Andrea kept off any walker from my behind as I dealt with the gate, my hands shaking as I tried to tie the cable securely. My thoughts were over-powering me, I felt sick to the core thinking about all the possibilities.

"Done." I muttered, stepping away from the gate and ramming my knife into a snarling head. Andrea and I joined the blood bath.

It was almost like a massacre. The killings were brutal and bloody. There was no strategy, merely kill and clear out. Once the last of the walkers in the yard fell, we all looked around at the mess that we had created.

_Our once secure home had been violated. _

"Lori!" Rick screamed into the air, over the alarm. "Carl!" Hissing with frustration, he raised his pistol and took shots at the speakers that displayed the blaring noise. The noise drowned out, but it was still evidently coming from inside the building too. We stared around.

I checked the bodies, looking for anyone recognisable and hoped, _prayed, _that I didn't. I couldn't cope with the thought of burying Sophia's body - or anyone's for that matter - along side Allen's twins and his wife. I was so sick of death, I couldn't deal with losing anyone else I had grown to care for.

"Sophia." I breathed a sob, realising that I had failed Carol's wishes in keeping her safe again. _Carol is probably looking down wishing she__'__d asked someone else to look after her daughter. _I was such a failure-

"Ruby!" A voice called, startling me and catching the attention of everyone else, having been heard even over the alarm.

Unnoticed until now, was a caged compartment, separated from the yard and secured in only a small space. Inside was two figures, both so very familiar and the sight of them was welcomed instantly. I rushed forward quickly.

"Sophia!" I cried, smiling. The girl opened the door and ran to meet me, jumping up into my awaiting arms. I laughed with the girl, taking in her breathing being and never wanting to ever let her go again. Tears welled my eyes as I felt relief course through my body. _She was alright. _I grinned at Herschel who was the other figure inside the compartment, thanking him for looking after her. He nodded with a smile in return. Rick stepped forward to take the man's outstretched hand as an affectionate greeting.

"What happened?" Rick demanded, eyes frantic as he addressed the farmer. Herschel sighed.

"It was madness, Rick." Herschel began, the rest of us gathering around to listen. "We were just outside when we suddenly realised that gate was open. No one saw how they opened, it was very perculiar. We tried to get back to the cell block, but ended up getting separated. I got Sophia and myself to safety while the others ran inside. I don't know what happened to them or where they are. Then the alarm was going off - Rick, I don't know what happened." Rick grasped Herschel's shoulder and squeezed tightly.

"We have to get back to the cell block, see if anyone made it there." Rick said, sternly. "Herschel, you and Sophia stay here until it's safe. Don't come out until one of us comes to get you." Herschel nodded, reaching for Sophia's hand. I kissed Sophia's head and squeezed her tight before letting her go with the old farmer.

"And Rick," Herschel called before we set off inside. "Be careful. I think the prisoners had something to do with this." Rick nodded firmly before leading the way towards the door to the prison.

I smiled sadly at Sophia, feeling a heavy weight lift off my chest at the thought of her being safe. I knew she was in capable hands with Herschel. She waved back and the pair got back into the compartment to wait for it to be safe. I quickly followed after the others, feeling sick at the prospect of what had become of the others.

Inside, the alarm was even more deafening - contained in the corridors and echoing off the walls. The lights flashed uncontrollably and I wasn't sure what we were expecting when we turned each corner. It was like a scene of a horror film. _Though our life was a horror film now, wasn't it?_

Images of the group's dying faces kept flashing in my mind. The inevitable possibility that not all the group were safe. _Oh God, I didn__'__t want to think about it. _The very people I ate dinner with the evening before, those I'd only said goodbye to that very morning-

_Daryl. _

My head went light and I had to pause and grip the wall for support. I wanted to throw up, I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. _Get yourself together! _I thumped my head hard, trying to snap myself out of it, but only seeing the hunter's limp body, his inners a mess on the floor around him-

"Ruby, c'mon!" Andrea's voice heaved me back into reality and I had to quicken the pace to keep up. My thoughts were praying to at least find Daryl in the cell block - selfish it may be, but I couldn't deny my thoughts. If anything happened to him- _Don__'__t think about it. _

The sounds of groaning and shuffling gathered our attention as we got closer to Cell Block A and I knew immediately that everyone tensed. _What had become of our home? _The processions' pace slowed as we rounded the corner and I saw the cell block door in sight over the shoulders of my fellow survivors. It was wide open. _Not good. _

"Rick?" Shane murmured quietly. Our leader grunted with frustration, taking a few steps forward to pick something up from the floor by the door before turning around and heading towards me. I noticed that what he picked up was the cable we usually used to tie the cell block door secure. It wasn't broken though, not ripped apart by the strength of a dozen walkers pushing at the cell block door. It was just undone and carelessly thrown to the floor. _Strange? _I raised a questioning eyebrow what Rick held the cable out to me.

"We'll all head in, blunt force is our strategy. We clear out our cell block so we have a safe location to regroup with the rest. Ruby, you're last in; secure the door behind us so no more can get in and overbear us." Rick paused so I could nod with understanding, taking the cable from him and gripping it tightly. "We take back this prison in small steps. Finding the rest of the group is our main priority right now. Got it?" When everyone nodded, Rick stormed to the front of the group and didn't waste any time making his way toward the cell block door. The rest followed in pursuit and the _massacre _began again.

There was an over-alarming number of walkers in the cell block, but between the six of us we worked through them. All the while, I kept my wits about me and my eyes scanning the approaching corpses to see if any face was familiar. Hopes were rising when we had yet to find a fallen member of the group.

Glenn and I made our way up onto the upper level of cells and immediately noticed the gathering of walkers pounding on the door of the security room. _Someone was inside? _We glanced at each other nervously before quickly making our way forward towards the group.

"This should be interesting." Glenn muttered, raising his machete defiantly. I agreed and Glenn whistled sharply, gathering the attention of a couple of them. When noticing an easier option of food, the group's attention was diverted and they began to stagger towards us. _Great. _We raised to the challenge and began the slaughter of caving in heads with our weapons and brute force.

They each fell with dull thuds and ones behind tripped over the bodies of their fallen fellow walkers. Instead of getting up, the dumb creatures tried to crawl towards us, ignoring use of their legs. Glenn made quick use of his machete and took the easy target of taking out the ones on the floor. For a brief moment he seemed to have forgotten about the ones still on their feet and there was a close call when a walker nearly sunk it's teeth into Glenn's bare shoulder. I was on hand quickly, shoving the walking corpse back so it collapsed against the closed door and I jumped forward quickly to sink my blade into it's forehead. It's movements stilled and it faltered to the floor. There was a pause after it did, Glenn and I physically exhausted from the activity. I glanced back at him.

"Thanks." He nodded, rubbing his neck and looking pale. I sent him a small smile in return before turning my attention toward the closed door. "You reckon someone's behind it?" Glenn asked, jumping over the fallen bodies and standing beside me.

"Only one way to find out." I muttered, raising my fist and banging sharply on the solid door. "Hey! You in there? It's Glenn and Ruby! Open up, it's safe!"

There was another pause and I swallowed hard, _hoping and praying _that someone was alive behind the door. I listened carefully as the sound of footsteps seemed to approach the door and my stomach hitched as the lock appeared to creak. _Hope? _In a moment, the door was open and I couldn't control the happiness I felt when I saw the living, unscathed figure that was Maggie Greene.

"You're alright." Glenn gushed, not even taking a moment's hesitation before rushing forward and engulfing the farmer's daughter into a hug. From over Glenn's shoulder I saw the happiness radiate from Maggie's face and she smiled at me, tears in her eyes.

"Have you seen my dad? Is he alright? We lost him in the chaos. I don't know where he went-" Maggie strung out, holding Glenn at arms length and glancing between him and I. Glenn shushed her softly and smiled.

"He's fine. He got him and Sophia to a safe place." Glenn explained, stroking Maggie's cheek gently. "We told him to wait there for now until it was safe enough." Maggie's physically looked relieved and she relaxed in Glenn's arms as he kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Have you seen anyone else?" A voice called from within the room. Glenn and I stepped further into the room to get a look at who the voice belonged to.

Axel was sat on the sofa, his face a picture of terror, his whole body tenser than usual. His jumpsuit was bloodied but I thankfully didn't see any visible bite marks or general injuries. _That was the last thing we needed right now. _He shuffled nervously under our scrutiny before glancing up at the person in front of him, who had a gun trained at his head.

Lori's face was tear-stained and her clothes faired no better. The woman's face looked visibly drained and she had a sickly yellow colour to her face. With her free hand, she held her bump, which looked as if it had grown over the course of the day, and I could see that her breathing was erratic and I could hear her panting. _She was alive though. _And that counted for everything.

"Oh thank God, you're both alright." Lori strained a smile, her lips cracking. "I would come and hug you but-" Her eyes glanced down at the prisoner sat on the couch, who shrank away form her gaze. "Who else is with you?"

"The rest of us from the run out are down below, clearing out the cell block." Glenn told her. "And like we said, we found Herschel and Sophia before." Lori turned to him with a frantic expression.

"No one else?" She breathed. When Glenn shook his head, Lori's shoulders slumped. I knew what she was thinking. _Carl. _

"I'm so sorry, Lori-" I tried, but she shook her head and attempted to smile.

"We'll find him." She nodded, more to herself than any of us. "Rick _will_ find him."

As if on command, footsteps approached the security room, echoing loudly against the metal platform. We didn't need to look to know who it was. Rick was first into the room, followed quickly by Shane, with Andrea and Tyreese lagging behind. There was a moment's hesitation as Rick glanced around the room before setting eyes on his wife. He scoffed a sob and lurched forward, taking Lori in his arms and holding the woman tightly to him. Glancing at Shane, I saw the tense expression on his face and the frustrated way he ran a hand over his bald head.

"Thank God you're alright." Rick murmured into his wife's shoulder. I smiled at the couple's reunion, remembering Glenn and Maggie's a few moment's previous. I was thankful that the lovers were together and united so quickly and though I held fond thoughts for each pair, there was still a bitter emptiness within me that I didn't want to place. Though we had found more members of the group, looking around the room wasn't enough to convince me that the rest were alright. _We still remained broken. _

"Just the three of you?" Andrea asked once Rick and Lori had pulled apart. Maggie nodded stiffly in reply.

When Axel coughed awkwardly, eyes turned to the man and Lori's attention was back to holding a gun at his head. _The happy reunion was over now. _Rick's face plastered of anything but suspicion and firmness as he regarded the prisoner and the rest of us waited on the wings as Rick eyed the man up and down.

"We think he's responsible, Rick." Lori explained, lowering her gun when Rick told her to. Rick glanced between her and Maggie, getting a confirmation from the latter before turning his attention back to Axel.

"I'm not, I swear!" The man tried, quickly, his eyes frantic. "I ain't done nothin'!"

"Then what the hell happened?" Rick asked darkly. "Who did this?" Axel's lips tightened and the man rung his hands together nervously. Just taking one look at the man was enough to conclude he knew more than us. _Much more. _Rick scoffed and raised his own gun to the man's head. Lori backed off a little, letting her husband step up. "You tell us _now _because I won't hesitate to blow your damn head off."

"No, please don't-"

"Start talking!"

"Alright!" Axel cried, glancing around frantically before nodding. "But I had nothing to do with it, because ya'll get suspicious and-"

"Spit it out." Shane hissed, cutting the stuttering man short. Axel paused and swallowed hard before turning his full attention to Rick. He took a deep breath before talking.

"Andrew and Big Tiny." The names were enough for the group of us to begin sharing looks. Rick's gaze remained focused though and I saw his eyebrows burrow. Axel continued. "They're angry at ya'll for letting in those people and blaming Big Tiny for what happened. And-" He paused to glance around awkwardly. "They're angry for you killing Thomas. They wanted to act out revenge on ya'll but the only way they could think of was overrunning the prison and hoping that the group was wiped out with all the walkers." Rick's gaze hardened and he glanced up to share a look with Lori. "You gotta believe me, I had nothing to do with it, I swear!"

"Rick?" Lori asked softly. There was a pause before Rick sighed and lowered his gun. Axel breathed a sigh of relief.

"I believe you." Rick nodded. "But that doesn't mean I trust you." Axel nodded stiffly. "You know where they are now? Andrew and Big Tiny?" Axel shrugged.

"I can't be sure, but my guess is the generator room."

"Why's that?" Andrea asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Cos they set off the alarms and my first thought is that they probably waited there because it was safe when the walkers were let loose." Axel shrugged before turning to Rick again. "Or maybe they're waiting for you to come to them?" Axel's words were left to sink in and Rick's face fell thoughtfully.

"So, what do we do now?" Maggie asked. "The others are still out there. We need to find them." Her words snapped Rick back into action and the man spun on his heels and marched over to the camera feed. Lori and Shane joined him, flanking his sides as they scanned the monitors.

"Who's still missing them?" Glenn asked quietly as the trio searched the cameras.

"Carl." Lori immediately piped in.

"T-Dog." Andrea offered.

"Sasha and Allen." Tyreese continued.

"Daryl." I concluded and silence fell onto the group again as our thoughts were will the remainder that were still out in the prison somewhere. Potentially lost and fighting for their lives. _If they still had them. _

"There." Shane said suddenly and the group gathered over to see what he was looking at.

On the monitor he was pointing too, showed a long corridor with two very prominent figures walking down it. One small, a familiar sheriff's hat on top of his head and his gun raised back down the corridor at something we couldn't see. His companion was firing arrows down in the same direction, his head darting about to check all directions, his movements so familiar. _Daryl and Carl. _

We should have rejoiced at the sight of them. _They were alive, _that was for sure. But their movements sent dread through the group, they were far too alert and they were aiming their weapons at _something. _They also appeared to be running _away _from that something too.

Their movements backed up and they were then lost from sight. What followed after them though caused the shock of horror to course through everyone. A group - pretty much a _herd - _with no less than thirty walkers staggered after them, their movements quick and eager for the kill.

"Oh, my baby!" Lori sobbed.

And just then, the monitors went _black. _And the prison fell silent.

"What the fuck?!" Shane hissed, jumping forward and get them back on again. "Who the hell touched something?!"

"No one." Glenn muttered. "The power's gone off." Shane paused.

"The alarms too." Andrea continued.

"Big Tiny and Andrew must have pulled the plug on us all." Axel muttered from his point on the sofa. Rick glanced over his shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. "Guess they must be in the generator room after all."

"Rick, our baby is out there and we can't see him." Lori gushed quickly. "He's being chased by so many of them! What if he-"

"He'll be alright." Rick quickly shushed his wife. Lori scoffed, tears already welling and she glared at her husband. "He's with Daryl and Daryl won't let anything happen to him." This seemed to reassure the woman _a little. _

"We _need _to go get him." She replied, forcefully. Her tone apparently leaving no room for argument. The feeling amongst the group seemed to agree with her - _we needed to go get the others. _Rick glanced around thoughtfully before nodding.

"Andrea, you alright to hold down the fort here?" Rick asked the woman directly. She seemed stunned for a moment before nodding. "Lori and Maggie stay with her. Andrea if you can, get to Herschel and Sophia and bring them back to the cell block where we know they're safe. It should be fine out there for you to do that." She nodded again. "Glenn, Tyreese and Ruby; you search the prison and find the others. Bring them back here." We nodded in reply. "Shane and I will head to the generator room and see if we can find Big Tiny and Andrew." He met Shane's gaze and the latter seemed pleased with his designation and nodded with approval.

"Rick, is that wise to do that?" Lori questioned. "Shouldn't we wait until the rest are found before we confront them?"

"Ruby, Glenn and Tyreese will find the others." Rick said again. "We _need _to get rid of the threat though. We don't know what else they're planning. "

"But only the two of you-"

"_No one _must follow." Rick cut in, firmly. "It's too dangerous. You all remain in the cell block. You three; if you find anyone, you bring them back here and wait too when you find everyone. Don't come after us."

"But-"

"We'll be fine, Lori." Shane cut in, shrugging carelessly. "Rick and I can take 'em down easily." Lori didn't look convinced but she must have known she wasn't going to get anywhere as she merely nodded.

"Stay safe, _all of you_."

…

With the power down, the corridors were dismally dark places. _The fear was mounting with every step. _We kept the beam of our torches low and our pace steady. Luckily, we hadn't come across too many walkers to handle yet. The first few provided quite a few scares as we weren't use to seeing them wandering the corridors anymore, but we managed to dispatch them without attracting attention of too many to take care of.

Tyreese lead the way, taking unofficial leadership of our trio. Neither Glenn nor I minded and I didn't think either of us would have made a better job taking charge. It was odd how much we trusted Tyreese now, after everything. But under the circumstances and after everything we had been through with him and his group, I think the trust had been laid out and grounded. Tyreese especially had done all he could to compensate our taking them in and I think it was safe to say that he had, if not very almost, earned his place in the group.

Glenn brought up the rear, leaving me in the middle. I could hear the kid's shuffling footsteps behind me and his erratic breath - the fear was evident in him. I concentrated on controlling my own terror and breathing and hoped he was coping with the situation better internally than he was externally.

Suddenly, Tyreese held up his hand and I had to quickly stop myself before I walked into him. We had come to a corner of the corridor and I watched as the man peeked his head around the corner. He seemed to observe it for a long time before turning back to us. His face wasn't visibly in the darkness but there was something about his silhouette that spoke volumes.

"There's a group of them down there." He breathed, quietly. Glenn stepped closer to hear. "They're gathered around something on the floor, _eating.__" _There was a long pause as the words sunk in.

"One of the group?" Glenn murmured. Tyreese's silence said it all and I swallowed down the lump as I listed off the possibilities in my head. _Please no._ "Can you see who it is?"

"No." Tyreese replied. "But we better go have a look." His voice sounded tired and he hesitated a little before carrying on down the corridor towards the small group.

Glenn and I followed and the three of us quickly, and as quietly as we could, took out the walkers. I let my eyes remain focused on the hungry dead and not at the thing they had just been eating. I had to keep my mind focused, _I didn__'__t need to break down at the sight of a fallen comrade while I was trying to take out the walkers trying to kill me. _When the last one fell, we remained silent. Our torches were on but didn't stray near the body on the floor. We were all afraid to look.

"Suppose we should get it over and done with?" Glenn offered, weakly. He sighed before I head his footsteps on the floor step closer to the body and he raised his torch to illuminate the body for us, so we could see it's identity.

At first we were met with the wrenching sight of inners ripped apart, spewed out across the cold, concrete floor. It was a mess, _one big disgusting mess. _And it was from one of our own. Glenn hesitated before letting the beam wander slowly up to the face and when it did, I couldn't help but fell relieved when I saw them. _Though I immediately hated the thought of mine when Tyreese spoke. _

"Oh God no." Tyreese breathed and the face of Allen was revealed. There were the sounds of Tyreese collapsing back against the wall and as he tried to regain his breath. "No, Allen, no!" Glenn and I didn't say anything for a long while, letting the man mourn for his friend for a moment. "Why the fuck- after everything. Oh God-" A pause of silence.

"We need to keep looking." I urged, quietly when the man didn't speak for a long time. I expected a bitter remark but was met with nothing. _This wasn__'__t comforting either. _"Tyreese, your sister is still somewhere and we need to find her." The mention of his sister was enough for Tyreese to control himself.

"Alright." He murmured, his voice breaking. "When this is over, I'll come back and get the body. I'll bury him with his family."

"He'll be with them now, just remember that." I tried, hoping to at least provide a little comfort in the dire time of strength. Tyreese didn't reply for a moment and Glenn and I waited patiently for him to focus again.

"C'mon, lets go." Tyreese finally said, taking off down the corridor away from Allen's body. I paused to take one last look at Allen - _This could have been Carl or Daryl or even Sophia. _I felt the bile rise at the prospect and quickly followed Tyreese to get away from the stench of death.

As we continued our search, the hopes of finding the others had been considerably dimmed at the sight of Allen. Tyreese's thoughts must have been racing over the possibility of finding Sasha in the same state and I could imagine the man wouldn't handle finding his sister in the same state as controlled as he had done upon finding Allen.

I couldn't get the images of Allen's expression out of my mind. It was a look of pain and that said it all - _he had died as painfully as it seemed, probably pinned to the floor with walkers clawing at his stomach. _The thought of his final moments being filled with so much pain, especially lying alone on a prison floor, sent agony through me. _How could one man deserve so much pain; physically and mentally? _Wasn't it enough to take his wife and children away from him? But to give him a horrific death too just seemed barbaric. If there was a God, then he was one _sick bastard. _

I thought of the others in the same state. I couldn't imagine breaking the news to Rick and Lori if Carl ended up the same way. The devastation on his mother's face was enough and just thinking about Lori's expression made me ache. _I couldn__'__t do that to her. _I was determind to find her boy and bring him back to her. _Sophia was alive, so it was only fair that Carl was too. _Unless the 'Messiah' had other plans.

_Daryl will look after him. _

The pair's prospect didn't look so great when seeing their situation on the monitors. But Rick was right, Daryl wouldn't let anything happen to Carl. The hunter would make sure that his sole goal was to look after him and bring him back to the cell block to his mother. _They could already back there now. _I continued to repeat this in my head to _try_ and convince myself that it was true.

"Shush." Glenn suddenly hissed. The three of us stopped and waited quietly. "I'm sure I heard something." We waited again.

"No!" A scream echoed down the corridor and it most certainly sounded familiar and female.

"Sasha!" Tyreese screamed and was bolting down the corridor before Glenn and I could react.

Glenn and I followed, with the aid of Tyreese's heavy footsteps to guide us after him. The corridors were winding and I wondered if we should stop Tyreese before he walked into something dangerous. We didn't know where Sasha was, but her scream signalled that she was in reach of danger. Before I could stop him though, Tyreese was brought to a halt by running into a figure.

"No!" The figure cried, lashing out at Tyreese, who restrained them quickly.

"Sasha, it's Tyreese! Calm down, you're safe!" Tyreese told his sister. Her flailing actions stopped and she soon flung her arms around Tyreese's neck and her staggering sobs were muffled by his shirt. Glenn and I remained alert - we were glad she was alive, but she was making a terrible amount of noise.

"Are you alright?" Glenn asked. The brother and sister pulled apart and a torch was raised to Sasha's frantic face.

"Oh God, it was hell!" She cried. "They were everywhere! We didn't know where to run! And he-" She paused to hold a hand over her mouth. "Oh God, they got him! They got him!"

"_Who_ did they get, Sasha?" Tyreese asked, calmly.

Sasha shook her head and pointed numbly down the corridor she had just run down. Tyreese glanced back at us and nodded once. This time, Tyreese and Glenn took lead together and I let Sasha hold my arm tightly for support as we headed down the corridor. The more steps we took, the more Sasha's fingers dug into my forearm. _They got him - _who was this 'him'? _I didn__'__t think I wanted to find out. _

The sounds of squelching and snarling halted our steps and I forced myself not to dry heave at the sound. _The sound of feeding. _Another member of the group was dead. _But who? _My stomach plummeted and I knew now that it was one of three missing members of the group, all of whom I wasn't ready to see dead. _I wasn__'__t ready to see _anyone _dead. _I had had enough for the day, I didn't think I could cope with knowing who it was.

Glenn and Tyreese took out the walkers; there was only three of them, and we made our way toward the body. When we saw it, Glenn immediatly staggered back in shock. When I saw his face, I shook my head, not wanting to believe it was true. I felt _sick. _I _ached. _I wasn't ready for it at all.

_T-Dog. _

He was in much the same state that Allen was and I couldn't control myself as I pried Sasha's grip of off me, probably much more forcefully than intended, and fell back to lean against the wall. Bile raised to my throat. _T-Dog was gone. Dead. _Memories of the man's laughing and smiling face blared in my mind and rather as a reminder of him - a happy memory to preserve - it only acted as a mocking gesture at his demise. Only a few hours ago, T-Dog had flung a careless arm around Daryl's shoulder and joked before I set off on the run with the others. _A prominent happy grin on his face. _

And now he lay broken, ripped apart, on the cold ground. Nothing more than walker food now. He was no longer T-Dog - he had no smile or cheeky grin on his face. _Only pain. _

Would we be met with the same fate for Daryl and Carl too?

_I couldn't handle that. _

"Ruby?" Tyreese tried. I ignored him, bowing my head and pulling at my hair in an attempt to numb the inner pain with physical pain. "Ruby, you need to head back to the cell block."

"We need to find Daryl and Carl." I muttered.

"Glenn and I will keep looking." Tyreese continued. "You take Sasha back to the cell block and tell the others about-" He trailed off. _Tell the others about Allen and T-Dog. _"Ruby, please. Head back with Sasha." I heard the authoritive tone in his voice, but also the plead. I heaved myself away from the wall and nodded, regardless of the lack of vision.

"You better find them." I breathed to Tyreese, before reaching out to grasp Glenn's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. _I couldn__'__t imagine what was going through Glenn__'__s head after seeing T-Dog - his friend. _"Be safe." Glenn squeezed back weakly before letting his arm fall limp by his side. "C'mon, Sasha."

While Sasha and I headed back the way we came, Tyreese and Glenn continued down the other corridor. Sasha stayed close to me and we were comfortable without conversation. My thoughts were racing too furiously to try any attempt of reassurance for the woman right now. Though I gathered she knew that and I was thankful she didn't try anything.

It was when we rounded the corner, I knew we would have to pass Allen's body. I kept to the side of the corridor, avoiding the middle where Allen's body lay sprawled and I wasn't sure if I should break the news to Sasha now or wait till we reached the cell block.

"Did you see Allen?" Sasha asked suddenly and I swallowed hard. "T-Dog and I saw him go down."

"Yeah," I nodded, numbly. "We found his body." The silence was the reply I received and we continued back the cell block the same way.

Upon sight of the cell block doors, I felt a glimmer of hope that we would find Carl and Daryl waiting for us inside. Perhaps they had made it back whilst we were out? Maybe Rick and Shane would be back too, having taken Andrew and Big Tiny down? Then all that was left to do was get Tyreese and Glenn back here and the group could makes plans to take back the prison. _But things were never that simple. _

Maggie stood at the cell block doors and opened them quickly upon sight of Sasha and my approach. She studied us silently, before casting a frantic glance back down the corridor behind us as we entered.

"Glenn?" She tried. I shook my head.

"Him and Tyreese are still looking." I told her numbly. My tone must have said it all as Maggie quickly shut the door securely.

"Something's wrong." She stated - not asked.

I turned to face the cell block, feeling a sigh of relief when I saw that Andrea had managed to retrieve Herschel and Sophia back from the compartment outside and that they were both safe within in the cell block. Sophia quickly rushed over to hug me, though I gave little enthusiasm in response and the little girl took a step back with a worried expression.

Herschel was sat on one of the benches, Axel opposite him. Andrea stood nearby, her hands on her hips and her gun latched on her belt. _Very tomb raider. _Lori took a few steps towards me though stopped, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly as she observed Sasha and I. I felt Maggie's presence enter the circle as she went and stood by her father. And that was it of the group.

_Daryl and Carl hadn__'__t beaten us to the cell block. Shane and Rick were still not back._

"Do you need medical attention, my dear?" Herschel asked Sasha gently. I glanced at the woman, taking her appearance in the light of the cell block. She looked dishevelled but not injured, no blood appeared to stain her clothes. She shook her head.

"I'm fine." She breathed, her voice husky raw.

"What happened, Ruby?" Lori quietly. She looked a lot better than when I saw her last, her hand absently rubbing her belly. Her expression was soft, but I could see the fear behind her eyes. _The fear that I would tell her the news that would break her entire life. _

"Allen and T-Dog are dead." I said, bluntly. My voice echoed across the cell block and nothing was said for a moment. I took in everyone's expressions and seeing the resignation of horror in their eyes. Andrea's hand flew to her mouth and I saw her eyes well up a little. _A break in her normally hard exterior. _Maggie and Lori looked to be swaying the same way, though the latter looked still intently interested for me to continue - to hear about her baby's fate. "No sign of Daryl or Carl."

Lori nodded slowly and I could see a small flicker of relief in her expression but I didn't hold it against her. She was glad for the small blessing that I hadn't listed off Carl's name with the ones dead. She was a mother and I couldn't blame her for feeling that small relief. It was still evident that the news of Allen's and T-Dog's - especially T-Dog's - deaths had been saddened news to her though.

"Rick and Shane still aren't back yet." Maggie announced, as if trying to fill the silence. It was an unnecessary observation but it seemed needed to lift the cover of death that was crowding us.

"Power is still down too." Andrea nodded, sniffing loudly. "Perhaps they haven't even gotten to the generator room yet?"

"It is a fair bit away." Axel offered and I was surprised by the man's attempt of reassurance.

"They'll be fine." Lori nodded, turning on her heels and walking away suddenly. I watched the woman go before patting Sophia lightly on the head and following after her.

Lori marched into a nearby cell and I hesitated before walking towards the cell door. I lingered for a moment, observing the pregnant woman as she lowered herself onto the creaky bed. Lori didn't look up at me, but I sensed that she knew I was there. Once she had seated, she rubbed her hand carefully over her belly.

"It's getting nearer." Lori muttered absently. "Only a few months left and we'll have to welcome a baby into this prison." She smiled faintly before staring down at the floor and bracing herself on the bed.

"Have you thought of any names for it yet?" I asked, guessing that Lori needed the conversation as a distraction from her missing husband and son. I needed the distraction too as I didn't want to think about anymore fallen comrades.

"We were thinking of Henry if it's a boy; after my granddad." Lori began, not looking at me. "And I like the name Judith for a girl but I don't think Rick likes that as much." I smiled.

"Those names are lovely." I breathed. Lori nodded once and I noticed her knuckles growing white as her grip on the bed sheets tightened.

"If I make it through the pregnancy, I'd like to hope that we'll have a somewhat stable life for my baby to live in." I frowned.

"What do you mean 'if'? Of course you'll make it through." Lori chuckled breathless, glancing up at me with tired eyes.

"Giving birth is hardly the safest of procedures in a hospital with the right equipment, let alone in a prison on some dingy couch with hardly anything sanitary." She countered. "Plus, Herschel's not got the training to help a human give birth so the odds are weighing against me at the moment."

"Herschel knows what he's doing." I said, shaking my head and hating the defeat that was in the woman's tone. "He'll deliver your baby and you both will be fine. We got a lot of stuff today on the run out that will help him and when this is all over, we'll go out again and get some more. You'll be fine, I promise."

"Please don't make promises you can't keep." Lori begged, softly. I eyed the woman for a moment and she sighed. "I'm sorry for bringing this up-"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." I attempted to smile which seemed to reassure the woman. We remained silent for a moment, just contemplating each other's company. I eyed the woman's stance, seeing a complete reverse to what I would normally regard from her. I swallowed the lump down in my throat and shook my head once. "You can't give up." I began, catching Lori's attention. "You're one of the strongest people I know, you can't give up on yourself like this." Lori smiled faintly.

"My son's missing, my husband's gone again, I have little prospect for the future of my baby - if it manages to even have a future-"

"You've just got to try and remain positive." Lori scoffed.

"How can I?" She challenged. "The world is so screwed up now and I can't even work out what's right and wrong anymore." She sniffed loudly, wiping a stray tear from her face. "I've made a lot of mistakes since the start of the outbreak, _so many _that I regret. I guess, I'm just waiting for the world to take it's revenge on me for the hurt I've caused to the ones I love." Her eyes glazed over as she stared off towards the opposite wall. I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment. "And it seems that all of _this," _She gestured around vaguely with her hand. "Is it's revenge."

"Do you regret what happened between you and Shane?" I braved asking, not surprised when Lori's eyes spun on me, in a moment of shock. She eyed me silently before answering.

"I don't know who is the father of this baby." She breathed quietly. "And I don't think I can find it in myself to regret _everything _that happened," She paused. "With Shane." I kept my face neutral at her words - I wasn't here to judge the woman before me. She was my _friend _and she needed me right now. "If it hadn't happened then there may have been a chance that the baby-" She trailed off, rubbing her belly again, fondly. "I _don__'__t_ regret the baby."

"We all make mistakes. Surely you wouldn't be punished because the mistakes you've made with the blessing that is your upcoming child?" I challenged, catching the woman out for a moment. She stared at me thoughtfully.

"But I don't know what will happened when the baby's born-"

"Preciously, you _don__'__t know._" I cut in quickly, shaking my head and smiling softly. "You can't give up yet when you could be hold so much hope for the future. You can't give up on a life you could have because of the bad possibilities. _You can__'__t give up on this baby._" I paused to let Lori have a moment to think. _This was certainly a huge distraction from the situation. _When she didn't reply, I continued. "You know, it was an unlikely source that kept _me _going when I wanted to give up on the world. I held no prospect of anything, no reason to truly live, until Merle Dixon told me otherwise." When Lori raised an eyebrow I smiled. "I know, an _unlikely source. _But what he told me was true. Sometimes, you've just got to try and look at the positive of things. Looking at the negative all the time will drive you into madness."

"You got _that_ advice from the likes of Merle Dixon?" Lori asked. I smirked.

"A mixture from both Dixon brothers actually." I shrugged. Lori smiled, a proper smile that lit her glowing features and illuminated her beauty. "And I know that our situations are completely different, but surely the same rule still applies? There's got to be a counterbalance of positives and negatives to everything we do surely? Yes, the world has gone to shit but it can't all be darkness and death out there. There has to be some light left in the world." Lori shrugged.

"I guess you're right." She nodded with a warm smile. Another moment of silence.

"What happened between you and Shane anyway when Rick got back? Did it all _stop_? If you don't mind me asking." Lori scoffed and shook her head.

"I don't mind." She reassured me. "Shane told me Rick was _dead_. My husband had been shot in the line of duty and had fallen into a coma before the outbreak and Shane was visiting the day it all hit near us. He came and got Carl and I and told me that Rick was _dead_. I grieved for my husband's _death _and all the while-" She cut off, shaking her head with a furious expression as she relived the memories. "So I was furious when Rick showed up in our camp that day; _alive and well_.

"I told Shane to stay away from us, but Shane being Shane-" She trailed off and paused for a moment. "Nothing's ever right with Shane anymore. He's different than what he was before and I'm scared of what he's becoming - of what he's _become_. What you see of him, what you know to be 'Shane', _that_ _isn__'__t him_. That's not who_ I_ remember him as. That's not the man I remember before the outbreak." She shook her head and sighed. "He's like a wrecking ball now, destroying everything in his path. He's heading somewhere and when he finally collides with his destination-" She cut herself off again, her tone so calm and thoughtful, but terrifying at the same time. "_He__'__s going to break something.__"_

* * *

_(Author's Note): Well that was a hard chapter to write, as you can probably tell by the delayed update! Very sorry about that. Thanks to all that reviewed the last chapter, you guys are awesome!_

_And have a shocked a few of you? I've mixed a lot of things up as you can see. Hopefully you people like the switch up so far? But of course, there's more to come - the group's still broken after all. I felt sad writing T-Dog off, but I guess he never had such a prospectful future after what happened to him in the show. And Lori - I certainly altered things where she's concerned. She's still very alive BUT very pregnant. So the birth is still something to come people! Though I know I scared a few of you with the last chapter where Lori was concerned (Robyn; are you happy Lori is still alive?!). _

_Thanks again for the reviews, please tell me what you think of this chapter. What do you think will become of Daryl and Carl? What do you think has happened between Rick and Shane and the prisoners? Your reactions to the deaths and the situation so far? I hope you'll all enjoy the action that is to come! :) I'll update as soon as possible! _


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

_Chapter Thirty Two_

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

The noise grated through me, drumming through my head and nagging at my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to drown it out. It would stop for a moment but then start up again. _Tap, tap, tap. _I repressed a groan and opened my eyes, glaring at its source.

"You wanna cut that out?" Andrea hissed, glaring at Axel who felt the need to fill the silence with irritating tapping. Andrea was apparently finding the noise equally as draining as myself. Axel shied away from the blonde's stare and drew into himself, ceasing all noise. I sighed through my nose. _Thank you. _

We weren't doing anything now but waiting. And it was _agonising. _Being forced to wait for the others only gave us all chance to think and after everything that had happened, thinking about our situation was surely torturing each and every one of us. But no one had the heart or energy to make conversation to distract each other.

Herschel and Axel still sat on the same bench as before, both tucked into their selves. Maggie sat beside her father, her head leaning against his shoulder with a distant look on her face. I could see that she clutched her father's hand tightly under the table and the father and daughter seemed comforted with the contact. Andrea stood with her back leaning against the wall beside the door, ready to open it when someone came back. She had her arms folded tightly and her expression was hard and thoughtful. If she was going for an intimidating look, she certainly had it cracked and I didn't blame Axel for shying away from the woman.

Lori, Sophia and I were sat together on the floor with our backs against the wall. Toby lay in front of us - I had completely (guiltily) forgotten about the dog in all the mess, but he made an appearance pretty quickly and I gathered the dog had hidden too in the chaos. He remained with us for comfort and I thought of how easily I could have lost my old friend and wouldn't have realised until it was too late. _How could I have done that? _Toby's ignorance was help as the dog held no grudge, though the thought still nagged in my brain. Toby was slowly losing contact with me now and was adapting amongst the group, usually seen with the children now. It was odd how I'd gone from being in the dog's presence every second of every day to forgetting his entire existence altogether. _Shocking really. _

I sat between Lori and Sophia, the latter leaning against my shoulder. I didn't want to look down at the girl incase I disturbed her, but I would put money (_if money meant something anymore_) that Sophia was asleep. I hoped she was, at least then she could be dreaming of something happy and nice, instead of worrying about the absence of her best friend. Lori had fixed her stare on the opposite wall, a blank expression on her face. One hand lay on her belly, whilst the other gripped my hand tightly for support.

The over-whelming physical contact had alarmed me at first but now I had grown used to it, I was happy for it. _The warmth helped a little._

Nothing had been said in a long time - disregarding Andrea's comment - and I was getting worried for the others in the cell block and their inner turmoils. Though when I began to focus on this thought I was strayed away with worrying about _the others _still out in the prison.

_No one must follow. _

That had been Rick's order and we were so far sticking to it. Though it was getting increasingly harder. It was hard to remain safe and sound inside the cell block when the others were clearly _not _so safe and sound. It was hard just _not_ doing anything even if it was following Rick's orders.

I thought of Daryl the most, I was unashamed to admit it now. Though I knew the hunter was more than capable, I still couldn't shake the image of him and Carl running down the corridor away from the herd of hungry walkers. The reassurance that Daryl would look after the pair of them was wearing off fast. Because surely he'd have brought them back by now? _What if he__'__s dead- _

I didn't want to think of it, just the thought made me sick. Having seeing Allen and T-Dog already was enough. _No more, please. _But grief still over-whelmed me, still lingering from our fallen comrades, but also at the prospect of the other's demises. _Daryl__'__s demise. _

I thought of my initial meeting with the hunter, his bitterness and untrustworthy nature. Then I thought of the way he and Toby bonded and how the dog created a bridge between Daryl and I. All the small talk we made that eventually grew to conversation. How the hunter slowly became used to it, no matter how much he said that he hated it. When Daryl had been the one to find me after the chaos at the farm he took care of me, and carried on taking care of me even now. How he seemed to accept me into the group long before most - disregarding Carol and Sophia - and had become my friend. The realisation of the connection with Merle that could have broke us, but brought us _closer? _His protectiveness that caused many arguments over the months. And the moment in the guard tower that just confused everything between us, the feelings I sometimes felt when Daryl was around, the way I thought about him sometimes. _Friends _didn't appear to act like that one with another; _they most certainly didn__'__t in the old world. _But perhaps things had changed in this new world? Priorities certainly had so surely other things could have done too? But surely I wasn't so much of an idiot to piece things together.

_Daryl Dixon was more than a _friend_ to me. _

Exactly _what _he was most certainly was the question. A question I had to pose on Daryl himself? _If he didn__'__t die before I could. _

I hitched a sob in my throat and I had to pry my hand from Lori's to cover my mouth, quietening the noise so not to disturb Sophia. I didn't want to attract attention to myself and thankfully Lori's seemed to be the only one I had gathered. The woman eyed me curiously, with a look of concern in her gaze. Though she didn't question anything, I suppose she didn't have to. Lori studied me for a few moments before looking away.

"Someone needs to go look for them." She announced to us all, her voice dry from the lack of talking for so long. Nethertheless it was heard amongst the group and everyone turned to her. Sophia was the only one who didn't stir and I could conclude then that she was sleeping. _A small positive. _

"And who are you suggesting goes to look?" Andrea asked, raising an eyebrow. Lori shrugged.

"Anyone. I'll go if no one wants to volunteer, though you've all observed how bad I am when it comes to shooting." She muttered. "But we can't just sit here any longer, we _need _to do something."

"Rick said we had to wait-"

"I don't care." Lori shook her head, causing Andrea to scoff. She didn't argue anymore though and silence fell across the cell block as everyone glanced at each other. We certainly weren't the most able group, that was for sure.

"I'll go." I sighed, when no one stepped forward. _I needed to do something. _Feeling helpless was the worst feeling and being confined in the cell block was just agonising my thoughts.

"Me too." Andrea nodded. "Though I think everyone else should stay back, we don't need to split the group anymore than it already is." Everyone agreed with this and I gently shook Sophia awake. The girl blinked a few times before raising her head to look at me with sleepy eyes.

Lori promised to look after Sophia while we left and Maggie took over Andrea's position on the door. We quickly restocked our weapons before Andrea and I left the cell block, bidding a promise that'll we do our best to find the others. The sound of the door clanging and locking behind us rang out and I wasn't sure that the dark corridors were the preferred option anymore to the confinement.

At first, we had no particular heading, though we tried to stick to routes we knew. We headed to the showers, the infirmary, the kitchens though they all lead to nothing and the scarce amount of walkers was a worrying thought.

"I think we should head to the generator room." Andrea suggested. "I know Rick said not to, but something's obviously happened." I agreed with the woman and we attempted to navigate our way to the generator room - _defying our leader__'__s order_.

The silence between Andrea and I felt like it needed to be filled. It seemed unusual that we were together and not talking about something or nothing, _but perhaps the situation called for silence? _

"How are you holding up?" Andrea asked, softly. I glanced at her figure beside me in the darkness and repressed a sigh.

"As well as everyone else, I suppose." I replied, swallowing back the bad memories.

"Not everyone had to see T-Dog and Allen all-" She cut herself off thankfully and I grimaced to myself.

"Don't suppose I'll forget in a hurry." I admitted. "But we have to concentrate on getting the others back for now. We can mourn later."

"Let's just hope there'll be no one else to mourn for." Andrea muttered. And I couldn't help but agree with her.

We carried on down the dismal corridors, avoiding walkers when we could, until we approached the heavy metal door that read the words; "KEEP OUT STAFF ONLY". It looked like we had found the right place but we hesitated before making a move. Listening outside for a moment, we heard no noise come from within. I rose my torch beam to Andrea's face to signal that we go inside on the count of three. Andrea nodded, cocking her gun and then braced the door.

_...1_

_...2_

_...3_

I went inside first, my weapon raised. I felt Andrea's presence behind me and heard the direct sound of her closing the door behind us. It had been a long time since I had been inside the generator room but it looked much the same as it did before. Though, as we had expected to find a confrontation between the men, we were completely surprised to find nothing. _No one at all. _I glanced at Andrea nervously.

"Where the hell are they?" She muttered, lowering her gun now that immediate threat wasn't around. We scanned the room in silence, to see if there was any evidence of the men being here at all. _This was worrying. _"Looks like they were here." Andrea announced, nodding to a mess of chairs and shelves that were scattered all over the floor at the back of the room. "Signs of a fight perhaps?" I shrugged before something caught my eye and I illuminated it with the beam of my torch.

"Where do you suppose that leads?" I wondered, frowning at an ajar door at the back corner. Andrea met my gaze with a thoughtful look.

"We should take a look." She nodded.

"Lets turn the power back on first, so we're not running about in the dark anymore and those at the cell block can watch the monitors." I suggested.

When Andrea agreed, we proceeded to tackle the job or turning the power back on. It was a hefty job that was confused us with various dials and switches, but when the lights in the room flickered on and the room began to murmur with a buzzing noise, it felt as if the prison had come back to life again. _It eased the tension. _

We approached the door at the back of the room, hesitant to where it led to having not seen it before. Andrea led the way through the threshold and we were then heading down a claustrophobic corridor that was only barely lit up with the beam of the bulbs above our heads. There was damp, rotting smell that surprisingly wasn't tinged with death like we were used to. There was a faint _drip, drip _noise which we couldn't quite place but seemed to put us on edge as we crept quietly down the trail.

"Do you hear that?" Andrea murmured, suddenly, halting her movements. We listened for a moment until my ears picked up on what she was hearing.

"Footsteps." I muttered back, glancing behind us to make sure we weren't being followed, before following Andrea who had picked up the pace.

Which way the footsteps were coming from seemed hard to distinguish but with each step we took, they appeared to get closer. It seemed as if they were coming towards us. Andrea halted again when the corridor was turned in a corner and the footsteps were most definitely close now. The blonde glanced back at me and jutted with her head in the direction of the corner. I swallowed hard before nodding.

In a sharp motion, I had lunged around the corner with my gun out in front of me with every intention to pull the trigger if necessary.

"Woah, don't shoot!" A voice cried. The dim bulbs didn't quite light up their face so Andrea raised her torch so we could see their identity.

I heard a growl from the woman behind me when Andrew's surprised face was illuminated and she jumped forward to snatch the gun from his hand before he could react. He looked like he'd been through the works and I took a guess that perhaps Shane had been the culprit behind his state. His face was bruised and battered, his body hunched over and apparently not fairing much better. I would have pitied the man if I hadn't have remembered that _he _was the reason T-Dog and Allen were dead and the group was broken throughout the prison.

"You fucking asshole." Andrea hissed. I didn't lower my weapon and I saw the man glance nervously between us before swallowing down hard, which looked painful to do so. _Good. _

"Please, I didn't do anything-"

"Save it, we know you're behind all this." Andrea cut in. "_You've_ done this to us and you better give us one good reason for Ruby _not_ to put a bullet in your head right now."

"You can't kill me!" Andrew begged, glancing between us and grimacing at the barrel of my gun. "The sheriff wouldn't want you to kill me!" At the mention of our leader, Andrea appeared to hesitate.

"Where are they?" I demanded in her silence. "Where are Rick and Shane?" Andrew looked nervous again and took a step back. "You better stay where you are." I warned, keeping my words slow and dangerous. Andrew stopped in his tracks.

"I'll show you!" Andrew quickly announced. "I'll take you to them!" I glanced at Andrea, taking in her pensive expression, before she nodded stiffly.

"C'mon." I shoved Andrew roughly forward, my gun still trained to the back of his head. He staggered a little, nearly tripping over his feet, but picked himself up and began to lead the way, limping.

"So this was your big elaborate plan then?" Andrea asked, dryly. "Let walkers loose throughout the prison and hope we were all killed off?" There was a pause before Andrew answered.

"Pretty much." He muttered in reply. Andrea scoffed.

"Surely you've been with us long enough to know that a few walkers aren't going to break our group." I swallowed hard, keeping my mouth shut as Andrea blabbered on in an attempt to piss Andrew off, ignoring the fact that a 'few walkers' _had_ broken our group. "We've found the others and everyone is safe and sound back in the cell block, so it looks like your plan went to shit." It was Andrew's turn to scoff and he glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and smug expression.

"If _everyone _is safe and sound, why did they send _you two _out to come find the sheriff and his deputy? Surely they'd send the redneck or one of the black fellas as they're clearly more able than the pair of you? That is, if they truly are 'safe and sound'?" Andrea appeared to be stunned by his quick observation and didn't answer. Andrew's face only widened with a smirk at this. "Just what I thought."

"You better shut the hell up."

"Or what, blondie?" Andrew challenged. "You _need_ me to find your friends."

"Yes, but we don't need _all _of you." I muttered. "You keep quiet or I'll shoot you somewhere that isn't fatal but will sure as hell hurt." My tone must have been firm enough as Andrew didn't make another remark. I silently congratulated myself for this.

As we carried on down the corridor, a distant echo of voices could be heard and I knew we were getting closer. When we turned a corner, we were met with another door that was ajar and where the voices appeared to be coming from. Andrea took the lead from Andrew, making her way towards the door to open it quietly. I had to shove Andrew forward again as he had stopped, which he sent me a glare for when he nearly tripped again. I didn't repress a smirk and this only appeared to piss the man off further.

The room we came out into appeared to be the garage for the prison. Various vehicles were parked in rows, mostly buses that were probably used to move prisoners about in when the prison was in use. We hadn't been in this room before and there was a moment as we admired it for it's scale. _It was so big._ Though we were soon grounded with the echoing sounds of voices in the room.

"-the hell are we still talking for? Shoot me if you're gonna!" It sounded like Big Tiny; deep with a hint of murderous flare in there.

The three of us carried on further in but stayed at a safe distance as we saw the three men together in middle of the room. They hadn't seen us yet as they appeared to be too focused on each other, so we were able to observe them and their interaction with mild ease. Big Tiny held a gun to Rick's head though appeared to be reluctant to pull the trigger as he had the barrel of Shane's shotgun directed at his. The standoff we had walked in on appeared to be the climatic point of the men's confrontation as each one looked badly beaten, like Andrew did.

"Because I don't care one bit for putting a bullet in your friend's head." Big Tiny growled and Rick scoffed at this, not looking the least bit phased by the gun in his face.

"How about ya lower ya gun and I lower mine?" Shane tried to bargain, his voice a growl. "We'll talk this out-"

"We've done _enough _talking." Big Tiny muttered, eyeing Shane silently before smirking. "This is your chance to get what you want." He paused, glancing at Rick briefly, who looked confused. "He's unarmed and I'll step down so you can do it." The last comment took Shane back for a moment.

"What the fuck you talking about?" He hissed, a little _too_ forcefully. "Do _what?__" _Big Tiny must have caught this as his smirk only grew.

"Kill him." Big Tiny paused, allowing his statement to sink in. Rick remained still, eyeing his friend intently. "Isn't that what you want? Get rid of what's standing in your way to what you want? C'mon, it's pretty obvious you want to fuck his wife-"

"You just shut the hell up-"

"You sick and tired of following his orders? Watching him play happy family with the lady and the kid?" The brief lower of Shane's shotgun didn't go amiss by anyone. "That baby; are you sure it's really _his?__"_

The silence in the room was sickening and Shane's lack of reply spoke so many unwanted volumes. The man seemed confused on where he stood now, what he was _meant_ to be doing. Big Tiny's simple words appeared to have struck a cord with Shane, or perhaps had enlightened so many insecurities that were already burning within him. Which ever it was, it had put Rick in a compromising position now as Shane looked very much unable to do anything anymore as he was stunned by the prisoner's words.

"Shane," Rick spoke, his voice firm considering the situation he was in. "_Shoot him_." The order in the man's voice was so strong and it seemed to mean so many more unspoken terms. The fall out from that order could distinguish Shane's place in this world. His _loyalty. _

For someone who seemed so very willing to pull the trigger before, Shane's hesitation was a startling difference and it didn't seem to bode well with Rick. Big Tiny chuckled darkly when Shane's shotgun lowered slowly and I knew then someone had to act or Rick's life would pay the price.

I shoved Andrew aside for a third time, though succeeded in managing to push the kid to the ground. Ignoring Andrea, I marched forward towards the three men. I saw Big Tiny's intentions and I had to act _now_. When my presence had gotten noticed, it was too late for any of them to react. I had aimed and pulled the trigger.

_Bang. _

My gunshot echoed across the walls and there was a brief pause before a body fell to the ground with a dull thud. The two men left standing stared down at it in shock for a moment, taking in the sudden turn-out of the situation in silence. Suddenly though, I was tackled to the ground.

"You bitch!" Andrew cried, flinging me onto my back and throwing himself on top of me, pinning me there. His hands clutched my throat tightly in a death grip and I choked to breath. Flailing, I tried to reach my gun that had fallen but I couldn't focus on where it was as my energy began to drain and I could only see Andrew's disturbingly angry face glaring down at me.

_Bang. _

Another gunshot rang out and suddenly I could breath again. I choked and coughed to regain normality and I felt someone heave the deadweight off me. Andrea stood there looking down and helped me to my feet, though she didn't seem to be the one who'd pull the triggle on Andrew. I glanced as the kid's body just in time as Rick took another shot at the man's head - _for good measure_. He did the same to Big Tiny too and I was surprised at how calm he seemed.

The remaining person still alive - Shane - appeared have remained in the same spot and stared at the commotion going on with a distant look. I eyed the man curiously as I regained my breath and suddenly felt fearful around him.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked, approaching Andrea and me, the question more directed to myself, but we both nodded regardless.

"Are _you?__" _Andrea asked. Rick's face darkened for a moment and he nodded once.

"I'm fine." He muttered. "Did you find the others?"

"T-Dog and Allen are dead." I told him. "I brought Sasha back, but Tyreese and Glenn continued to look for Carl and Daryl. They weren't back before we left."

"But they may be there now." Andrea added, hope in her voice. Rick nodded stiffly.

"When this is over, we'll arrange for T-Dog and Allen to be buried with the others." He muttered, looking saddened for a moment at the thought of the missing members. "We better head back."

We agreed and Andrea was instructed to lead the way. The action of our leaving seemed to alert Shane back into reality again and the man began to follow the blonde out. He paused beside Rick before he did.

"Close call back there, man, huh?" He tried in an attempt of cheerfulness, though it seemed too forced to be real. Rick didn't reply, merely stared his _friend _down hard. Shane swallowed, backing off and walking away without another word. Rick watched him go before turning his attention to me.

"Thanks for having my back." He said, urging us to follow the other two into the corridor, and keeping his tone quiet enough for just the two of us to hear.

"Thanks for having mine. And it didn't look like Shane was doing a great job at having yours so thought I might step in." I muttered. Rick hummed in agreement and I glanced up to see him glaring at the back of Shane's head.

The remainder of the walk back to the cell block was in silence and the tension between everyone was bitter. I willed for us all to get back to the cell block so the tension would at least lift a little and we could focus on another matter at hand, rather than Shane's reluctance to step to Rick's aid - which almost cost the leader his_ life_.

_"He__'__s like a wrecking ball, destroying everything in his path. He__'__s heading somewhere and when he finally collides with his destination-_

_He__'__s going to break something."_

Lori's words - almost a warning it seemed - echoed in my mind and her statement appeared to hit very close to home now. I eyed the man in front, his long strides that didn't hold that same confidence anymore, and wondered what the hell had happened to him.

_"What you see of him, what you know to be __'__Shane__'__, isn__'__t him. That__'__s not who I remember him to be."_

Well, if that isn't Shane then who the hell was it?

Our arrival at the cell block was met with relief from those in there. Lori greeted her husband with so much love it over-whelmed us all for a moment. She held him and didn't appear to want to let go, which caused me to smile a little, despite our situation. The rest looked very pleased with our return and the group gathered around the leader to hear what he had to say. What surprised me the most was when Tyreese and Glenn appeared and I had a flicker of hope that they had found Daryl and Carl.

_Though neither of them were anywhere to be seen. _

Just taking in Lori's face - though rejoiced at the return of her husband, it was still breaking at the absence of her child - told me that they hadn't come back with Glenn and Tyreese. I bit back the flow of tears that threatened to break the dams and stepped to Sophia's side to clutch her little hand in mine.

"Rick, are you alright? You look so-" Lori studied her husband's appearance, taking in his battered face that was layered with blood, dirt and sweat. Rick stared back evenly, not batting an eye at his wife's concern. He still had that dark look in his eye that worried me. "We'll get Herschel to look over you-"

"That won't be necessary." Rick shot her down, shaking his head. Lori clamped her lips together tightly before nodding and taking a step back from her husband. Rick eyed her for a moment before turning to face the rest of the group. "We found Big Tiny and Andrew." He announced to us all.

"And what has become of them?" Herschel asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"They're dead." Rick stated, bluntly. "When Daryl and Carl are found and we secure the prison back, we'll go and retrieve the bodies of T-Dog and Allen; give them a proper burial with the others." Tyreese nodded his thanks when he met the leader's gaze. "We'll burn Andrew's and Big Tiny's bodies with the rest of the walkers." His tone seem to strike terror throughout the group for a moment and there was a few awkward glances shared between us all. Rick ignored them if he noticed them and merely marched past us all and made his way up onto the higher landing, toward the security room.

"Where are you going?" Lori asked, faintly.

"To see if I can find my son." Rick called back. Lori trailed after him as did Herschel and Maggie. The rest of us remained down below, unsure of what to do now. In a moment, everyone dispersed and settled with doing what they could do to wait for the remaining members of the group to be found - _in whatever state they may be in. _

I stood back and observed Shane as his gaze followed the direction in which Rick and Lori had just gone in. There didn't appear to be anything malicious or evil about the gaze, but it was something that made me unusually uncomfortable. And considering what had just taken place before, I felt off with the man now and wondered why Rick hadn't questioned Shane on his actions before.

_Because he had more important things to think about. _

Carl's safety was obviously the priority for him now and as soon as he was safe and sound, Rick probably wouldn't be bringing up what happened with Shane until afterwards. I reminded myself, however, to keep an eye on Shane as there was something in his eyes that I just didn't like.

I drifted off back to my cell to sit on the bed. The day had been an exhausting one and I felt unsure if I could cope with anything else thrown at me. Toby kept me company, sat at the door, but the presence of the dog didn't feel as normal as it did usually. It didn't feel right having the dog with me _at all. _I had grown so used to seeing the dog by another's side, that with Toby now with me, it just didn't feel right.

I didn't want to think too much about the possibility of Carl and _Daryl _not returning back to us, but for some reason my brain thought that thinking about those we'd lost would be a better topic to consider.

_Dale. _He was the first person we'd lost. That day long ago when the farm was ambushed. I remembered the light leaving his eyes as I tried to stop the wound in his neck bleeding out, Andrea's frantic cries booming next to me with the blur of battle in the background. He was such a loss, such a blow. I tried to imagine his presence amongst the prison, his wistful wisdom and intellectual thinking. I wondered where his place would have been regarding the issues we had faced. The prisoners? Tyreese and his group's arrival? The deaths of Ben and Billy? The events of today? I was surprised with the lack of sadness I felt when I thought about Dale and realised that a long time had passed and now I could look back and consider the short time I knew him as happy memories. _Which I suppose would have been what he would have wanted. _

_Patricia, Jimmy and Beth. _The latter was the worst, listening to her begging before I ran, still echoed in my head even now_. Her fear, her terror_. Sometimes I wondered if I should have done more for her, but I knew then and I knew now that there was nothing I could have possibly have done without putting us both into danger. The thought of what they did to her sickened me, she was too innocent and I couldn't understand the minds of those monsters. I never had done. My only hope now was that Beth - and _everyone else _that had passed on - were in a better place.

_Carol. _Her last smile, her final words. I'd like to have thought I had done what she hoped regarding her daughter and everything that drove me forward to look after Sophia derived from the promise I made her before she died. She didn't deserve to die, but her final moments were so calm and so serine that I was thankful she didn't suffer. Carol had easily welcomed me into hers and Sophia's little family, she had trusted me from the word go and never seemed to doubt me. _Even when she perhaps should have._ She was a wondrous woman. One who I was _determind_ to make proud.

_T-Dog. _He could now be added to the list of those lost, along with _Allen _and his family. The prisoners I purposely discounted; they weren't our people and would be burnt along with the dead. By Rick's orders, they didn't deserve to be buried properly and instead disposed of along side the monsters that tried to kill us daily. While the idea was uncomfortable, no one seemed to want to question it. _Not after everything that had happened before of those men. _

I wondered how many more, over time, would be added to the list of the fallen. How many would fall to the cruelty of the new world? Would we _all_ make it? _None_ of us? Would Sophia? Rick? Lori? _Would I? _Surely there had to be hope for us somewhere. Surely there was _somewhere _where life could grow again. Perhaps we had found it and the prison was something to prosper from, we just had to bounce back from this blow. Or maybe there was another place out there in the world for us, just _waiting _to be found.

_Michonne and Merle. _I wondered how far they'd gotten. They were strong, the _both_ of them. I didn't want to doubt their survival as I believed they were out there somewhere. Sometimes I convinced myself that we'd come across them one day, but other days I'd remind myself of how big the world actually is. And with the new threats, the chances were running _slim. _I still held onto hope though. _I hoped that one day I'd see my old friends once more._

"What are you thinking about?" A voice asked and I looked towards the door. Sophia stood hesitantly in the doorway, as if wary to come in. I smiled faintly and beckoned her inside. This was _her _cell too after all, _silly_. She crawled onto the bottom bunk beside me and curled up into my side. I welcomed her warmth and for a while we sat in almost content silence. "Are you thinking about Carl and Daryl?" She questioned, softly. I thought for a moment.

"I think we all are." I replied with a sigh. "But they'll be fine."

"Because Daryl won't let anything happen to either of them, right?" I paused again. I _knew _Daryl wouldn't let anything happen to _Carl, _though I was unsure as to where his own safety was concerned.

"I know he'll do his best to bring them back safely." I answered, feeling rubbish about my answer, but Sophia seemed to accept it.

"Why aren't we looking for them?" Sophia asked suddenly after a long moment's silence.

"Rick and Lori are looking for them now on the monitors. It's safer than leaving the cell block when there's walkers still in the corridors. When they find them, we can go get them." I told her, unsure if I truly thought that staying in the cell block, _safe, _was a better decision than actively looking for Daryl and Carl. Rick apparently thought so, so until he changed his mind, I'd abide by his orders. _Like a good soldier. _

"I hope they're alright." Sophia murmured, quietly, followed by a sniff. I had a suspicion she was crying but instead of questioning her on it, I ignored it. I knew she needed the moment to let things out without me pushing and proding her.

_She was worried for her best friend. _And I would be there for her in this desperate time. _A desperate time for all of us. _

"Ruby?" Sophia asked, timidly, her voice sounding hoarse.

"Yeah?" I prompted softly. There was a hesitant pause before she continued.

"You won't ever leave me, will you?" She breathed, barely audible. I froze at the question, completely taken back for a moment. _I wasn't expecting that at all. _

There was a twinge of fear in the girl's voice, as if she was expecting the refusal and it made my heart ache that she _was _expecting it. Sometimes I would look at Sophia and all I would see would be a child filled with broken hopes and empty happiness. _I hated seeing that and wanted to rid her of her pain, if I could. _I couldn't begin to fathom where Sophia's pain came from, though Daryl had mentioned a thing or two about her father - Ed, I think he called him - being a complete ass. _'Ass' being a delicate word to use. _Then gathering all I could from what Sophia spoke about her late father, it didn't take a genius to piece together that Sophia was potentially the product of an abusive parent. _So was Daryl (and Merle too). _But there was something so lost in Sophia compared to the Dixon brothers, something that didn't hold a spark of life like they did. And that worried me. _Worried me sick. _

"Never." I vowed to the girl, firmly. "I won't _ever _leave you." I felt even more determind than ever to keep that promise too.

"Thank you." Sophia murmured quietly, her voice seemingly sleepy. Knowing how easily Sophia could fall asleep, I knew it was only a matter of mere seconds before the girl succumbed to the power of exhaustion and I willed the girl to get some rest. _She needed it. _Though as she drifted off into her peaceful slumber, she muttered something to me before she finally reached unconsciousness. I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, so I strained to listen, only catching the last couple of words. "…_love you."_

* * *

_(Author's Note): Yeah, so this is a shorter chapter than the last, but it's a quick update so hopefully that'll make up for it! Not as much action as before, though we've resolved Big Tiny/Andrew conflict! Hopefully you're all glad at how it turned out? And I suppose Shane's actions have sparked up some suspicions? Any ideas on what you think'll happen regarding him? _

_Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I'm sorry to keep the suspence on Daryl/Carl going! You'll all have to continue suffering! Please tell me what you think of this chapter, it'll mean a great deal and so I know if you guys are still enjoying/reading my story. :) Thanks again and I'll update ASAP. _


	34. Chapter Thirty Three

_Chapter Thirty Three_

I was on watch on the platform of the cell block, darkness overpowering the vastly large room. It was a tense shift to say the least, a nervous one for certain.

Rick had ordered that no one was to wait out in the guard tower tonight; too dangerous a journey. He and Lori had spent hours on end staring at the monitors but had found the same conclusion as before. _Nothing. _As each hour passed, the couple grew agitated and wary. It got to the point where Herschel had to demand for the pair to leave, insisting that he would take over and would alert them if he saw anything. They were adamant at first but gave in eventually and from my position, I could see that the couple were resting in their cell - _a much needed rest too -_ as Herschel scanned the monitors in the security room as he'd promised.

The group were edgy, the day's events demolishing us all. T-Dog and Allen had been mourned but energies had been drained now and I knew none of us could cope with any more if Carl and Daryl didn't come back. _I for one, knew I wouldn__'__t cope. _With each growing hour, my hopes and passions began to fade. I had spent a long time merely staring into an empty space with nothing meaningful to think about. My thoughts were dull and lifeless now.

I tried to take my own advice - _think of the positives of the situation. _I was struck dumb for a moment but eventually conjured up a few.

_The threat of Andrew and Big Tiny was over. _I thought it was safe to conclude that we wouldn't have any more hassle where they were concerned. The hesitance towards Axel would no doubt linger, but he wasn't a threat at all to the group. If he did turn against us, it surely wouldn't be very hard to overpower him - he was only _one _man against a group of us. But I didn't think he had it in his character to react against the group anyway. It seemed safe to say that he provided no threat to us, unlike his dead inmates had.

_Sophia was alive and well. _That was certainly something I was glad for. My attention was drawn to the cell the little girl would be resting in and my thoughts lingered over her confession earlier that evening. "_Love you__" - _such simple words, but held _so much _meaning. I was stunned by them and felt myself freeze over. I was glad Sophia was asleep and wasn't expecting a response as I didn't think I would have been able to provide her one. _I couldn__'__t remember the last time someone told me they loved me. _It had effected me greatly, but in a _good _way. And I couldn't help but smile a little, the feeling of being _loved _by someone warming my entire being for a moment.

I continued to think things over, trying my best to avoid the topic of Daryl and Carl, but was suddenly interrupted by the sight of movement in one of the upper floor cells. _Rick and Lori__'__s to be exact. _I watched patiently as a figure rose from the bed and lingered in the doorway for a moment before stepping into the moonlight streak.

Rick stood a moment, gazing up and down the cell block before turning towards me. I frowned in confusion, wondering if he intending to relieve me of watch duty - though I had every intention of rejecting his offer if he did - as he made his way toward me. I raised an eyebrow when Rick reached the end of the walkway and as the man crouched in front of me. There was a pause before he spoke.

"I'm just going outside for a bit." Rick breathed, quietly. My frown only deepened.

"Isn't that dangerous during the current situation?" I muttered. Rick patted the pistol strapped to his waist in answer to the question.

"I should only be an hour." He promised. "Hold things down here for me?" I nodded numbly, not sure whether to protest. Rick didn't continue anymore conversation, merely stood up and walked away. _Though not without giving me one meaningful last look._

I watched his figure as he walked along the upper floor balcony and quietly down the metal steps. Confusion was all I felt. _Why was Rick going outside at this moment in time? Wasn__'__t it too dangerous? _He reached the cell block door and undid the cable around it, securing it back on when he exited. I continued staring at the door, wondering if I should go talk to Herschel in the security room about this strange behaviour, though my thoughts were suddenly stopped again when more noise in the cell block was heard.

From the lower level, I saw another figure exit their cell and when they walked into view of the moonlight glimmer, I felt a horrible feeling overwhelm me.

Shane didn't appear to take any notice of me, having seemingly forgotten of my ever-watching gaze on the platform. His eyes only gazed at the cell block door in which Rick had just previously exited. His strides made me uncomfortable; forced and fierce. He walked with meaning towards the cell block door, opening it and securing it as Rick had done before him. _Then the cell block was silent once more. _

Even from this distance, I had seen the odd look in Shane's eyes. One that had a hidden depth and darkness within. I didn't trust the man one bit anymore. And the sudden need to leave the cell block overpowered me and the scene before me seemed far too suspicious for me to just stay quiet about it.

I rushed to the security room quickly, trying to keep my movement as quiet as I could as to not wake the rest up. Herschel glanced up at me when I appeared and frowned.

"Did you just see that?" I asked. Herschel nodded slowly. "What do you think that was all about?"

"I don't know, my dear." Herschel replied, sighing. "But I sense something happened when Rick and Shane were out; the pair seem different now." I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Shane didn't have Rick's back when he should have." I told him. "Big Tiny said Shane should kill Rick, get him out the way and step into his place. Shane didn't challenge him and it almost cost Rick's life if I hadn't have stepped in." Herschel nodded again, turning to the monitors.

"Then I'm very concerned right now." He muttered. "Shane is a very complex man, someone whom I will not deny in saying I've detested with my every being since the moment we met. I've _never_ trusted that man since he stepped on my farm all those months back and nothing's changed now."

"I'm going to go after them." I quickly announced. "Make sure Rick's alright." Herschel studied me for a moment, thoughtfully.

"You want someone to come with you?" He asked. "I could wake Glenn or Maggie-" I shook my head.

"I'll be alright." I smiled slightly, though it felt too forced. "Keep an eye on things here?" Herschel promised he would and I quickly took my leave, my pace rapid and with intention.

I opened and secured the cell block door as my predecessors had done before me before glancing up and down the corridor. _They could have gone either way. _Though after recalling Rick saying he would head outside, I set off at a quick pace towards Cell Block C and the exit into the yard.

At each step I took, the dread began to build. _Something wasn__'__t right. _The fear of walkers seemed to transpire now and all I was focused on was getting to Shane and Rick as quickly as I could before anything happened. _What was going to happen, I did not know. _

I took the corridor from Cell Block C to the yard in practically a sprint. My gun weighed heavily against my side and I scolded myself for not getting it out on the way here - that could have been drastic if I had come across any walkers. The door to the yard was ajar a little and I hesitated a little before opening it. Peeking out, I expected to see the pair and was surprised when the yard appeared empty.

_Strange. _Though I decided they were probably further down in the grass compound. My heart began to race rapidly as I made my way across the concrete and my ears picked up the distant but raised sound of noises. For a moment, I wondered if perhaps the pair just needed to talk and that was why they had both come out. Maybe I was just being a nosy and shouldn't pry into their privacy? Though when I reached the gate separating the yard and compound, I saw that perhaps my inkling had pointed me into the right direction.

The pair stood facing each other, a few paces apart. A furious, almost _deranged and animalistic_, expression was plastered on Shane's face while Rick looked surprisingly calm. I hesitated, glad I hadn't been noticed, but also completely stunned by the scene before me. _What was going on? _

"So this is where you planned it?" Rick began, stoically, his voice never wavering. His eyes pierced into Shane's with darkened determination and I remained in confused silence on the sidelines, observing the pair in wonder.

"Good a place as any." Shane replied, he appeared to tremble. His demeanour was slumped, _nervous? _This only increased my confusion.

"At least have the balls to call this what it is," Rick hissed suddenly, his lips almost curling up in a snarl. "Murder." _Murder? _My eyes widened, _what on earth was this? What the hell had I missed? _"You really believe that if you go back into that cell block_ alone_, no me-"

"Why don't you hush up-" Shane tried, weakly. Rick ploughed on regardless of the protest.

"You really believe they're going to buy whatever _bullshit _story you cook!?"

"Well, that's just it, there ain't no story." He titled his head slightly as he observed his friend - _ex_friend perhaps now? I couldn't understand what was happening, _what was this talk on murder?,_ though felt no will to intercept. "A stray walker attacked you from behind, I killed it but it was too late for you, man. I'll have to drag in a walker to take a chunk from you - make it believable, but I'll _manage_." His lips turned into an animalistic snarl. "Ain't gonna be easy, but Lori and Carl will get over you. They've done it before. They're just going to have to."

Just then, Shane pulled out his gun and did something I didn't think he would do - _aimed it at Rick__'__s head. _I couldn't believe the scene before me, I knew I should step in but I was so in shock, I couldn't bring myself to move. Rick didn't look surprised by his once-friend's actions and stared back down the barrell of the gun, that could potentially end his life any moment.

The air was silent for a moment, the tension thick and growing. Two once best friends pitted against each other in desperation and anger. There was nothing but hatred in each other's eyes, _something that shouldn__'__t be there at all. _I always knew something was building between the pair, but never had I imagined an outcome like this. I wanted to step in, step up to Rick's aid, but I couldn't. _This was for Rick to deal with, _I realised.

"Why?" Rick hissed finally, taking a small step closer. "Why now? I thought we worked this all out?"

"We tried to kill each other, man." Shane chuckled. _What, when? _I gathered a lot must have gone on during the time alone together when looking for Andrew and Big Tiny. _Something significant apparently. _A definite break in their friendship? "What, you think- you think we're just gonna forget about it and all go ride off into the sunset together?" Amusement twinkled behind the burning hatred and despair. I now seemed to understand what Lori meant - _this wasn__'__t _Shane. _This was a being filled with so much hatred and desperation, _merely a shell of what Shane used to be.

"You're gonna kill me in cold blood?" Rick challenged. Shane didn't answer. "You screw _my_ wife. Have _my_ children, _my children!, _call you daddy? Is that what you want?" The anger was brewing within the leader. "But life won't be worth a damn, I know you. You won't be able to live with this!"

"What do you know about what I can live with?" Shane shouted suddenly, the cracks slowly breaking and showing only a ruined man. "You got no idea what I can live with, _what I live with_!" Violent gestures and flailing arms. "We talk about what _I_ can do, Rick, what about what _you_ can do? Here I am." Arms spread eagled for a moment. "C'mon, man, raise your gun."

"No." Rick breathed, shaking his head at his former partner. "No I will _not_."

"What happened, Rick, thought you weren't the good guy anymore?" Shane demanded, his voice loud and boisterous. He was letting himself out, letting go of all the feelings he had been repressing for so long. _The end result was terrifying to say the least. _I heeded to Lori's foreboding and wondered what was going to happen when he collided with his destination. _It was coming, _I sensed_. _"Ain't that what you said?" Rick didn't heed to the demands and taunts. "Even right here, right now, you ain't gonna fight for them? _I__'__m_ a better father than you, Rick, _I__'__m_ better for Lori than you, man." Shane paused almost to let his bitter comments truly strike hard, Rick's face turned up slightly with anger. "Because I'm a better _man _than you, Rick. Because I can be here and I'll fight for it. But you come back here and you just _destroy everything! _You got a _broken_ woman, you got a _weak_ boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it." He snarled at the leader with distaste before raising his gun again, abandoning all extravagant arm movements now. _He had made his point. _"Raise your gun." _Loud and clear. _

"You're gonna have to kill an unarmed man." Rick muttered, shaking his head. A tense silence followed as Rick held his hands up slowly. "Watch my hand." Carefully, Rick reached down towards his belt where his pistol was strapped. "Nice and easy." He slowly removed his gun from its holster and a feeling of dread washed over me, but _still_ I couldn't move. "Easy does it." He took a few small steps towards Shane, slowly as if not to startle the blaring giant that was the human wrecking ball - _Shane._ "Now listen to me, Shane." Still more steps. "There's still a way back from this." His voice was so calm, so soothing. I could tell he must have been a great negotiator in his cop years. Shane seemed unable to tear his eyes away from his friend, his breaths were shallow and audible even from where I was standing. "Nothing has happened here. We're gonna lay down our guns and we're gonna walk back to the cell block." _He was giving Shane a chance, a chance to redeem himself despite everything that had happened between them? _"Together. Back to Lori, back to Carl." He was so close to his friend now, Rick held the pistol out for Shane to take from him. "Put this all behind us."

There was a moment of suspense as the pair regarded each other one last time before Shane broke the contact to look down at the weapon being handed to him. _This was the chance Rick apparently was waiting for. _

In a blink of an eye, Rick had shoved the barrell of Shane's gun aside and just as quickly had forced the blade he procured from the back of his belt into the stomach of his friend, plunging it in with force and a hard grunt. Shane's gun echoed off a shot and Rick grasped the man's overpowering stature as Shane slumped forward from the attack.

_I couldn__'__t believe the scene before me. _A hand flew to my mouth, muffling all gasps or cries that may have come out. The determination in Rick's eyes as he forced his blade into his _once _closest friend's stomach was terrifying and disorientation took over me.

Rick and Shane fell to the ground, Rick cradling the latter's body as blood began to pour from his wound. The dying man choked as he struggled to breath and Rick's body wracked with howling sobs of a broken man. _It hurt to listen to the pain between two once brothers in arms. _

"Damn you for making me do this, Shane!" Rick grunted, his voice so hoarse and thick with tears. I staggered forward a little, though not enough to gather Rick's attention. "This is you, not me! _You_ did this to us!" The man's once calm form was now demolished into a fit of weeping sobs, so unlike anything like the leader we were use to seeing, the side he kept hidden - _the side that now wept for the thought of his dying friend._ "This was you, not me. Not me!" Shane grunted as Rick pulled the knife from his stomach and more blood gaped out. I considered going to get Herschel; he could fix Shane up and everything would be fine. _But it wasn__'__t fine, not anymore. _Rick was wrong in what he said; there was _no _going back from this. "Not me!"

Upon the last final cry of despair, Rick discarded the knife and stared down at his dying friend with a lost expression. He looked confused, _unsure_, on what to do and almost attempted to soothe Shane in his dying moments. Though finally, Shane coughed one last gut-wrenching choke from his bloodied lips and his struggling limbs slumped and his head lolled to the side in defeat. The deranged and animalistic look Shane once had had faded and Shane passed on with an almost sorrowful look, a _lost_ expression even. He died looking perhaps like he once was, not the Shane driven to desperation, but the Shane long before that. _He died in Rick__'__s arms, the arms of his brother. _

Rick's bitter laced sobs echoed though the air, piercing through me like the blade of a knife. _A desperate knife to kill your best friend? _The man stared around into the darkness, though I was unsure of what he was looking for. He looked defeated and exhausted and I remained at a distance, not approaching him until he had had the moment to realise what he had done. _Regret it perhaps? Or just to comprehend it? _

When the leader's sobs - which sounded almost like a _dying animal - _had ceased, I braved another few steps forward, though tried to be careful not to startle Rick from his trance. His eyes found mine in almost an instant and nothing was said between us as were merely regarded each other across the grass compound. I swallowed hard, glancing down at Shane's form still in Rick's arms. Gently, Rick let Shane's body fall back onto the grass and he stood, shaking a little on his feet. His clothes were blood stained, as were his hands and face. I said nothing of it and Rick didn't seem to care.

"He was a threat." Rick breathed suddenly, his voice just carrying to me. He glanced at Shane's body with a sorrowful expression, that threatened to break again, before he backed away and took a few steps towards me. "You heard what he said, how he tried to kill me." He put his back to Shane's body and approached me some more, though hesitantly stopped a distance away, as if to judge my reaction to it all.

"I knew I was listening?" I asked, quietly.

"I _wanted _you to listen." Rick murmured evenly. "I knew what Shane was planning, but I wanted someone to hear him, so they'd believe me. So _the group _would believe me. I'm _not_ a cold bloodied killer."

"You _killed_ him." I stuttered, stopping Rick for a moment. He swallowed hard, sniffing back the tears.

"I know." He tried, nodding a little. "But I did it for the good of the group, you have to believe me. I need you to believe me." He paused, his voice almost hinting at more sobbing. He shook his head. "I need_ someone _to believe me." I observed the man's form, wanting to believe him, but still trying to comprehend that Rick had just _killed _his once friend.

"I want to," I breathed. "I _really_ do."

Rick's face softened slightly and he opened his mouth to try some more, but a gun shot suddenly went off and we both turned just in time to see _Shane__'__s _body hit the floor, very close to Rick's feet. _What? _

"What the-" Rick muttered, as we both approached the body, though something else caught out attention entirely.

"Dad!" A voice cried from nowhere and we looked up to see a bobbling sheriff's hat sprinting towards us. Rick's face broke out into another sob, though one of joy now, as he rushed to meet his son and the pair embraced. Rick's voice muttered his praises for his son's wellbeing and I smiled fondly at the pair, already imagining Lori's incredulous expression now when we brought Carl back _safe and sound. _It seemed that the tragedy of Shane's death was masked over by the safe arrival of Carl. _But was he alone? _

I glanced up when movement caught my eye and I was almost stunned with grief when I saw who it was. The figure moved slowly towards us, his eyes gazing down at the body on the floor before raising to meet mine. It felt like _so long _since I had seen those eyes and the whirlwind of thoughts and fears that had been raging through my mind since I knew he was missing, hit me with brutal force and I almost choked in bittersweet laughter at their meaningless now.

_Daryl was alive. _

The happiness that overwhelmed me was something I hadn't felt before and one I couldn't understand the meaning behind. _I didn__'__t care. _Nothing stopped me from closing the distance between us swiftly and throwing my arms around the hunter's heavy, _and safe, _shoulders. I was surprised when strong arms held me close in return but relished his being and blessed him a thousand times over for being here_. _

"Oh, thank God you're alive." I breathed, suppressing a sob into his shoulder. Daryl's body wracked a little as he chuckled, _I then remembered how much I loved that sound and that only increased my weakness. _

"Ya shoulda had a bit more faith in me." Daryl muttered with ease. It felt good to hear his voice again and I would have happily remained clinging to him if Rick didn't start talking.

"Thank you so much, Daryl." Rick spoke. Daryl pried his arms from me, gently pushing me away to regard the leader. I glanced at Rick, with Carl clinging to his side, fresh tears in each of their eyes. "I mean it. I'm in debt to you after what you've done for Carl." Daryl swallowed hard, glancing at Carl with a soft smile before shrugging.

"We look out for each other in this group, done what anyone else would do." Rick beamed at his hunter's modesty. "We miss anythin' interestin'?" Rick's expression flattered a little and Daryl noticed this. "We take any hits?" Carl looked suddenly distraught.

"Mom?" He gushed desperately though his father soothed him.

"Mom's fine, she's resting in the cell block. Worried herself sick over you." Rick informed him, patting a hand lightly through his son's hair. Carl looked relieved and Rick smiled a little at him, before turning back to Daryl with a solemn expression. "We lost Allen and T-Dog." Daryl's face fell. "Andrew and Big Tiny caused all this."

"Where are the bastards now?" Daryl asked, his expression now dark.

"Dead." Rick replied, glancing at me briefly. "Ruby and I dealt with them." I felt Daryl's gaze on me for a moment before all attention was diverted to the body on the ground.

"Shane turned, Dad." Carl spoke, breaking the silence between the four of us. "He turned into a walker. And _I_ shot him." Rick swallowed hard at his son's confession. I was stunned by it to, having assumed Daryl had taken walker-Shane down, though realised that Daryl only carried his crossbow on his person. The idea of Carl having to put Shane down overwhelmed us all. "Does- does that mean I _murdered_ him?"

"No." Rick shook his head, crouching down to meet his son's level. "You did _not _kill Shane." He paused, tearing his gaze away from his son to briefly allow them to pass over the body. "A lot of things happened tonight, some good and some bad." He paused and stroked his son's face. "Shane _had _to die, he was a danger to the group. I would not allow him to carry on like he did anymore, not after everything and certainly not when the baby is born. You have to believe me, Carl, that Shane wasn't _good _anymore and he hasn't been for a long time. _That _wasn't Shane." _I__'__d heard that before. _"The bad thing is, is that the old Shane, the one we knew and loved, was lost behind all the anger and envy. The only way Shane could be at peace again was for this to happen." He paused to see his son's reaction and I saw how vulnerable the leader looked as his sanity must have weighed in the balance for his son's reply.

"I believe you, Dad." Carl nodded, resigned, and Rick smiled at his son, fondly.

"And _you _came back to me. _That _was the good thing that happened tonight." The father and son shared a moment of solitude before Rick rose to his feet and turned to us. "We better head back to the cell block. In the morning, we'll make plans to recover the prison back and collect T-Dog's and Allen's bodies to be buried out here. Andrew's and Big Tiny's bodies are to be burned with the walkers."

"Sure thing, boss." Daryl muttered, nodding, providing Rick with a mock salute. Rick smirked a little and patted the hunter's - now, most likely, his second-in-command _(taking Shane__'__s empty place) - _back as a friendly and welcome-back gesture. Rick led the way towards the prison, Carl's hand gripped tightly in his, probably in fear of losing each other again. Daryl and I trailed behind.

"Dad, will Shane's body be buried or burned?" Carl asked, an echoing question that stunned the leader into silence for a moment. I listened intently, curious now to hear the leader's answer as so much appeared to depend on that now. Though I couldn't see Rick's face, I knew his expression was most likely a thoughtful one as he delved his reply.

"Shane will be _buried._" Rick replied finally and there was something satisfying with the answer. "Along with T-Dog and the rest." Carl nodded at this and fell silent.

Carl's and Rick's pace quickened considerably once we got inside the prison, probably in anticipation to give Lori the good news. Daryl and I hung back and I felt as if a million and one things needed to be said between us, but _nothing _was coming out. I glanced up at him, the man who I had been in so much despair over, the man whom I had unquestionably decided I had _feelings_ for.

"What?" Daryl asked, probably sensing my stare probing the side of his head. When I didn't reply, he glanced down at me with a raised eyebrow - an expression that was once familiar, but now appeared to be so new to me after the absence of his presence. I smiled slightly and shook my head, looking away with a grace as if all my wishes had come at once. "Ya gone cuckoo in my absence? Forgotten how to talk to me?"

"I'm just _so _happy that you're alive." I admitted. "I thought you were-" I cut myself off, swallowing back the pain I felt when I imagined the possibilities of Daryl's demise. "We saw you on the monitors being chased by walkers, it didn't look so great and we feared the worst."

"It was fuckin' tough, I'm not gonna lie." Daryl muttered. "Had a few close calls, but Carl 'nd I managed to barricade ourselves in some janitor's closet 'nd get ourselves onto the roof. Kid's stronger than he looks, I'll give him that. Gotta hell of a lotta courage than I give him credit for." He shrugged. "We're back now though."

"I was so worried." I continued. "I thought I'd lost you and I couldn't-" I trailed off and I could sense some tension from Daryl. The hunter grunted a little.

"We've lost people before, ya would have gotten over it pretty quick." Was that an insecure tone to his voice? I shook my head fiercely.

"No I wouldn't." I stated, firmly.

Ahead of us, Rick and Carl had reached the cell block and had rushed inside. Their calls could be heard within and I knew they were announcing their situation. I wanted to follow after them, to see Lori's reaction to her son's safe appearance, though Daryl's steps slowed a little and he stopped to linger a little way back from the entrance. I stopped too, turning to face the hunter with a questionable gaze. _Why had he stopped? _

"Why do you look at me like that?" I muttered, trying to gouge the piercing stare Daryl was imploring into me. It was the same one I had seen all that time back in the guard tower, the one before an intimate moment ensued…

"Why do _you _say those things?" Daryl asked in return and I was confused for a moment.

"You don't believe me?" I breathed, realisation hitting me.

I delved into his expression and then recognised the expression of vulnerability and sadness. _Of course he didn__'__t believe me, _I thought as I remembered the stories about his home life. _Though surely someone had expressed kindness towards him before in such a manner? _My heart ached when I looked into Daryl's eyes for the answer and saw nothing but pain. _Pain of rejection perhaps?_

When I held him the second time, he didn't seem to expect it and tensed in the first instant. Though he hesitantly put an arm around me and resigned into the embrace. He reminded me of Sophia; the fact that there was something so innately good about each of them despite both having been filled with broken memories and a haunted background. _Daryl's brother, Merle, was different as he was _not_ so innately _good_. _There was something about the younger Dixon that remained vulnerable compared to his older, more boisterous brother. The pair shared attributes that I realised _now_ gave their relation away. Each time Daryl would get angry, a part of Merle would creep through and I wondered if between the pair of them, I was being shown a glimpse of what it was like to grow up inside the Dixon household over the course of each of my time with them.

Neither Dixon embraced other contact. Merle seemed to outright déteste it whilst Daryl almost appeared afraid of it. _Was it was easier to cure someone of a hatred or of a fear? I wondered. _Though despite of their outright awkwardness to civil order, the connection I had with each of them - individually - seemed weird now I thought about it. I wondered what force had brought me to them and why it seemed like _I _was the only one who could be capable of a companionship with _both _of them, and not just Daryl's younger self or neither altogether. _It was a strange and curious situation, but one I was more than happy to embrace. _

"I hope one day you will believe me, Daryl." I muttered into Daryl's ear. He flinched a little at my words, as if receiving a blow. This was another attack on my heart. "Because everything I say to you is _true. _I would _never _lie to you and I hope you know that. I care about you, Daryl, _a lot._" After I uttered the minor confession, I wondered how much of an effect that would impact Daryl. As expected, the hunter tensed under my words, though soon relaxed. He didn't reply or return the gesture and I didn't _need_ him to. I didn't want him to return a forced gesture if he didn't mean it, as long as he knew _my_ feelings, that was good enough for me.

"We should head inside, they'll wanna see ya." Daryl said, finally. He pulled himself away and scratched the back of his head in a nervous fashion. I smiled slightly.

"They'll be excited to know you're alright." I countered and Daryl smiled back as if he believe it. _I hoped he did. _

I regarded the hunter one last time in his state and tried to process a sane and functional thought in my head. Daryl gazed back, almost expectantly, and many ideas passed through my mind before me as to how to approach the next immediate step between us. The step chosen was one quite abrupt and I acted rashly before I decided to back down. _Why not take the plunge? _

Without allowing a moment to breath, I closed the gap between Daryl and I; taking his face between my hands and guiding his head gently to mine. When his lips touched mine, I felt his entire body tense and I realised I probably should have provided Daryl with some warning before acting. I didn't pull away though, my fingers and lips tingled beneath Daryl's skin and when Daryl didn't shove me away I decided he was either too stunned or had accepted the kiss for me to initiate stopping. _What was I doing? _His lips were soft on mine, _unexpectedly so_. My head burst with so many thoughts that I couldn't think straight and was glad when Daryl's hands found the top of my arms for support as I didn't think I could have remained standing much longer.

The kiss lingered for a moment before Daryl pulled away a little. He remained close enough though, his forehead pressed against mine, my breath mingled with his. Nothing was spoken between us though the silence just seemed to blare heavily against my senses. I kept my eyes closed, even when Daryl's hands dropped from me and he backed up, in fear that I'd open them and he'd be staring back at me with nothing but contempt and disgust. _Daryl wasn't the only one that feared rejection. _

Tentatively, I opened my eyes and found Daryl's instantly. But he wasn't looking at me with contempt or disgust. There was a mixture of confusion there, which I expected, but his eyes were soft also. I didn't know what was supposed to happen next - _this wasn__'__t the normal situation for things like this to be happening - _or how to explain myself to him. It appeared I didn't have to though as a voice from within the cell block called us. Rick had apparently gotten worried when we hadn't followed on after them. _Figures. _

"Time to go, huh?" I braved first. Daryl nodded once, stiffly and my heart sank a little.

Daryl moved to step around me though paused for a moment, staring at me through narrowed eyes. I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, though his hand reached towards me, halting what I was going to say next. Hesitantly, Daryl's hand weaved its way through my hair and he gently drew me closer before gingerly placing his lips against my forehead. The kiss stunned me and I was astonished by Daryl's actions. It filled me with warmth though and I found myself leaning into him. He backed up again quickly, dropping his hand and smiling slightly down at me.

Nothing more was said between us as we entered the cell block, _our home, _to greet the ones we loved, though there was something different between us now. What kind of different, I didn't know, but my skin burned from Daryl's kisses and the intimacy would definitely leave a great etching in my memory now. And I couldn't help but smile briefly at Daryl when I met his gaze and was surprised by the small nod I received in return.

_This was certainly something new. _

…

Beside the ones already filled, three new graves had been dug and filled with our three fallen companions. Words were spoken about each of them, Allen first followed by T-Dog and lastly for Shane.

The latter was met with an awkward silence at first before Rick ploughed his way through a eulogy worthy of his once firm friend. Tears were shed for each of the fallen and it was certainly a day for great mourning.

Next to me, Lori stood, her face tear streaked. Her arms wrapped around the shoulders of her boy, whom she had barely let go of since their reunion, while one of Carl's hands gripped Sophia's tightly. When observing the woman, I noticed her eyes lingered toward her husband with an almost unsure expression. The pair had barely spoken two words to each other since Rick's announcement of Shane's death and what had occurred that night had hit Lori hard. Some nights I had tried to talk to the mother, try to reason that Rick's choice was one made with good intentions. She seemed to understand this, though I knew the blow had left a gaping wound that needed a bit of time to mend.

_Time mends all wounds. _A cliché saying perhaps? One I could imagine Dale hollering to us all in this time of his much needed wisdom. Though during the bitter time spent beside each grave of the fallen, our reassurance was that time would mend the wounds of what had happened. When given time, we could rebuild our stability again.

When the last of the funerals ended, the group departed back inside, passing the burning embers of the remains of walkers that we had burnt earlier that day. Barely a glance was given towards the ash pile and every single one of us ignored the familiar looking bodies that lay on top of the pile, that had not quite finished burning yet. Even Axel refrained from sparing a glance towards his once fellow inmates. The hellish creatures were dead - though not without rendering us with losses. And though we couldn't bring our friends back, we could attempt to repair the damage that the inmates had left behind and our mockery to them would be the fact that their plans had failed and we were still _living._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Well, that was a very intense chapter for me to write! I struggled the most with the Rick/Shane scene and it's execution. I guess you've probably realised that I've taken the dialogue from the show regarding that scene (obviously adapted bits to fit the situation) and I hope you guys are alright with me doing that. I'm not one for just re-writing scenes from shows and films, but I felt with this particular scene that it could be allowed. I mean, the scene in the show was certainly a memorable one for me, probably one of my favourite moments in the entire _Walking Dead _and I couldn't think of a more appropriate way for Shane to go. Hopefully it came out alright for you guys and that you liked it? _

_And Shane's place in my story is over now. I hope that my choice to prolong his death for my story was the right one; what do you guys think about how thinks panned out for Shane here? I've really enjoyed writing him and I'm actually glad to have kept him on longer than expected, rather than killing him off earlier on in the farm scenes for example. Guess all that's left to say now is R.I.P Shane Walsh! _

_And yes, immense Daryl/Ruby in this chapter, (took my time, didn't I!) which I hope came out alright? I don't pride myself in writing romance so hopefully you guys can provide feedback on how I did? And a crucial point would be regarding Daryl's character in it all - is he still his Daryl Dixon self or am I swaying a little on the OOC side of things? Please inform me if so! _

_Anyway, thanks for the comments and reviews, please tell me what you think of the latest chapter! I'll try update when I can for you all! :) _


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

_Chapter Thirty Four_

Nights grew darker and the air grew colder, heavily suggesting that winter had hit us. Surprisingly this didn't bother us too much now we'd cleared out our safe zones in the prison and life was just about managing to cope normally now. Herschel did mention that the cold weather would prove a hassle for the crops he and Maggie grew but with the substantial supply of food in the kitchens, we knew we'd last through the cold months to come.

After the attack from the prisoners, life had become quite strenuous. It was as if we had had to rebuild everything from scratch with the knowledge that we had received a huge blow to our ranks. Five of our own we had lost, three more including the inmates. T-Dog, Shane, Allen and his boys had been grieved over but there was only so much we could do considering the situation we lived in now.

Lori's pregnancy was main priority now that the safe zones had been marked again and life was easier. She had grown bigger, if that was possible, over the last couple of weeks (_months?) _and Herschel had confirmed that she was surely due any day now. Plenty of supply runs had been carried out to gather anything we possibly could for what Herschel needed when the time came, though there was still a sense of uneasiness about the imminent birth. Under these tense conditions, the risks of child birth would be increased and the baby's and Lori's lives were at risk. Regardless, Lori tried to remain positive about her situation and I had to admire the woman's spirit.

From all our losses, Shane's had been the one that created the most effect - but in the perhaps wrong way. Since the announcement from Rick about what had happened that fateful night, there appeared to be a cover of uneasiness regarding Rick's leadership. Arguments had been thrown about the cell block about his reasons and motives, each time I tried to back up Rick's point when I could. Lori took the news bitterly and heated rows were frequent between the couple. It had even gone as far as Lori moving out of the cell she shared with Rick and into one on the opposite end of the row. That was a bitterly awkward day for us all.

Though after a while, Lori appeared to have perhaps accepted Rick's decision - a little too late perhaps? Rick's ideas regarding his wife appeared to have deteriated before the group's eyes and he rejected any white flag Lori offered him. _He was hurt. _Hurt at his wife's reaction to what he had had to do - something that had already broken him, no doubt. Hurt that his wife hadn't stood beside him when he needed her to. And now that Lori was trying to pick up the pieces that had been left behind, Rick just didn't seem to want to know. _Not just yet. _It was tense between the couple now and this was something sad to see. _Especially when they were bringing a new life into the world soon. _

So many times had I seen the sad, longing look in Lori's eyes when she gazed at her husband and plenty of times had she expressed that she was a terrible wife and mother. Lori's strong and admirable character was slowly breaking and it was difficult to watch.

I looked up from staring at the monitors - it was my turn on camera watch - to see a very plump Lori waddling down the upper floor platform towards the security room. I quickly jumped to my feet to open the door for her and smiled when she entered the room, bringing a certain glowing grace with her.

"I've come to keep you company for a while." She told me with a smile. I offered to help the heavily pregnant woman towards the couch in the back corner, which she accepted, and I made sure she was comfortable before returning to my place in front of the monitors. "Herschel's just been going through all the possible options for when I hit labour." She grimaced a little. "He doesn't beat around the bush, I'll tell you that!"

"It's a blessing we have him." I pointed out and Lori nodded in agreement.

"He's done so much for us all; helped Carl when he was shot, let us stay at the farm when we needed a home, now helping me through my pregnancy." She chuckled fondly. "Man deserves a saint's title!"

"Saint Herschel sure had a ring to it." I muttered, smirking a little. Lori wheezed another chuckle, waving my concerned look away with a flap of the hand.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She reassured. "Just can't wait for this baby to make an appearance; being pregnant has it's limits, I'll tell you that!"

"I gotta say, you're not as hormonal as I expected." I offered and Lori scoffed. "Had any cravings at all?"

"Not as much as when I was pregnant with Carl, though I would give anything for some potato waffles right now." I chuckled and grinned at the woman.

"All out, I'm afraid."

"Darn." Lori muttered, smiling slightly. "I can remember, when I was carrying Carl, that I'd always crave eggy bread." She hummed with slight pleasure before smiling fondly. "Would always hassle Rick to make me some but would eat far too much that I'd feel sick." She shrugged and beamed at me. "It's a hard balance." I raised an eyebrow and snorted a little. "You ever fancied having children, Ruby?" In thought, I turned to the monitors to give them a quick glance over before shrugging.

"Suppose I did at one point. Though now I don't think that really means a lot."

"I wouldn't sell the idea short, look at me!" Lori gestured to her bump as if to emphasise a point and I scoffed. "Though if you were planning it, I'd think it through _very _carefully."

"You seem far too eager for this idea. You plan on starting a mother's union or something?" I muttered and Lori smiled, chuckling a little. "It's easier for you anyway, _you _have a husband." Lori's smile flattered a little.

"A husband who can't stand the sight of me." She breathed, quietly, and I mentally kicked myself for the comment.

"I didn't think, I'm sorry." I said and Lori shrugged. "Are things still the same between you both?" I didn't like to pry, but it seemed that Lori needed someone to talk to, even just to vent her frustration at. She seemed to keep everything bottled up and Herschel had told her plenty of times that it wasn't good for her, especially in her condition.

"I didn't stand by my husband when I should have," Lori began, not meeting my gaze. "And I didn't realise how much that would hurt him. And now I pay the price with his bitterness."

"I don't think Rick can stay like this for too long, not when you're bringing a baby into the world together." I tried and Lori smiled sadly at my attempt. "Things may change when the baby is born."

"Maybe." Lori nodded in agreement. There was a moment of silence before Lori coughed, clearing the air. "How are things with you?" It was a general question, but I took a while to think it through.

"Alright I guess, under the circumstances." I muttered in reply. _I wasn__'__t pregnant at least. _"Still on edge after what happened, but I guess we all are."

"Yeah," Lori nodded slowly. "Though hopefully that won't be a problem anymore." Her tone was hopeful and I was glad of it - _glad there was still some of her old strength and will left. _I smiled a little and turned back to monitors, to glance over them again, though something caught my eye very quickly. Something that startled me for a moment. Something I hadn't dreamt of seeing in a long time.

On one of the cameras displaying the outside of the prison, something moved nearby the tree line. I watched for a moment before a _figure _appeared between the trees. I was shocked for a moment as the figure looked horribly familiar. Dark skin, dark hair that looked as if it were thick and stranded enough to be dreaded, though hard to tell due to the quality of the image. I wasn't sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks - if so, it was a _horrible _trick - but it also seemed to look as if the figure held a long blade in one of their hands. _A katana perhaps? _

_Michonne. _

"Ruby?" Lori's voice asked, suddenly. I pried my eyes away from the footage for the moment and turned to the pregnant woman. She stared back, concerned. "You alright? Have you seen something?" In a second, I turned back to the monitors. Only to find that the figure had _gone. _

_Strange. _

"Ruby?" Lori implored again and my feet suddenly brought me to stand. "What is it?"

"I'm just going outside for a moment." I muttered. _I didn__'__t need to worry the others with my potential visions that may or may not be real. _"Will you be able to watch the monitors for me, or should I go call someone-?"

"What have you seen?" Lori prodded, her face confused. I stared back at the woman for a moment, though seemed unable to tell her that I seemed to have envisioned my long gone companion on the monitors outside the prison. _Michonne could be out there__…_

"Don't worry about it," I shook my head. "I just want to go check something, I'll be back before you know it." Lori didn't seem to like my answer and pursed her lips. "Do you want me to get someone-?"

"No, I'll manage while you're gone." She replied, shaking her head. "Could you help me up though?"

After positioning the pregnant mother on the chair in front of the monitors and making sure she was comfortable enough, I told her that I would be back very soon before rushing off to my cell to gather my knife and rifle. All the while, I felt Lori's worried gaze on me, but carried on my activities. All I kept thinking was of that one person, whom I'd tried to forget. I needed to be quick before she alerted the others on what I was doing. _No one needed to concern themselves. _

The prospect of seeing Michonne had dulled my senses, though I knew that there was a possibility that what I saw could have been a walker or perhaps just my imagination. It wasn't necessary to tell the others, they'd either think I was crazy or wouldn't understand my need to find out exactly what I had seen. _I needed to find out if it was Michonne. _And if it _was _Michonne, would Merle be nearby? The possibilities… I'd never felt so much excitement since the outbreak.

I turned to leave my cell, only to stop in mild shock. Daryl stood at the door of my cell, a confused and slightly harsh look on his face. He gazed long and hard at me in silence, scrutinising my weapons, making me tense considerably. I tried to keep my expression neutral though Daryl had an knack for detecting when I lied to him.

"What are ya doin'?" He muttered, eyes suspicious. I swallowed hard and shook my head. Perhaps a little too quickly?

"Just going outside for a bit." I told him, trying to keep my voice believable. Daryl's gaze softened slightly. _Only slightly. _"Needed some air from being coped in that room all day. You know what it's like in there, you can still smell that dull essence of death and it really is a kick to your sinuses." Daryl remained thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to divulge my lie, before nodding once.

"I'll go get my crossbow 'nd come with ya-"

"No!" I hissed, far too quickly. Daryl stared in shock for a moment before his gaze hardened again. _Nice one, Ruby. _"I mean, I'd rather go on my own. I've got a lot of thinking to do and I'd rather do it _alone_."

"Bit dangerous for ya to go alone." Daryl muttered, eyes narrowing. "Ya can think in 'ere, no need to go outside." I shuffled uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"Told you, I need the air." I insisted. "I'll be fine, I'm taking my weapons anyway, and I know how to look after myself." Daryl's eyed them for a moment before returning my gaze. "Can you watch over Sophia for me while I'm gone?" I quickly asked, to avert his attention.

"Since when was I babysitter?"

"Please, Daryl?" I whined, annoyingly, before smirking when the hunter rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He sighed, setting his jaw firm. "Don't go runnin' off, keep inside the grounds."

"Will do, Daddy Dixon." I nodded, with a grin of triumph. Daryl smirked a little before stepping aside to let me pass out of my cell. The hunter followed me to the door, even unlocked the cell block door for me, though paused before opening it fully.

"Be careful." Daryl muttered, a breath of volume. I nodded firmly when he set his hard gaze on me and smiled slightly when he reached out hesitantly to place an unsteady hand on my cheek. He left it there for a moment, running his fingertips along my skin, his expression thoughtful. He paused when his thumb grazed the edge of my lips and suddenly his hand was gone, tucked away in his trouser pocket.

Not another word was said and Daryl opened the door for me, to allow me to pass through. I smiled once more before leaving the cell block, glancing over my shoulder only when the sound of the cell block door echoing shut caught my ears. Daryl's retreating figure could be seen from within and I was glad that he wasn't following.

Since the evening Carl and Daryl returned to the group safely, there grew something unspoken between Daryl and I. After the kiss I had initiated, no more kisses were shared, and for a while Daryl had kept his distance. It was a heart-aching few weeks when Daryl pretty much ignored my existence though soon things returned back to semi-normality. Though the nagging feeling that something had changed was still there. _Never _had we spoken about that night, not even when we were alone. Conversation seemed to resume to normal and it was as if the kisses never happened. Though the almost terrified and hesitant touches from Daryl were enough to say otherwise.

I had told Lori and Andrea what had happened between Daryl and I and each time I had received similar responses. _Give him time. _Daryl wasn't the kind of man to jump into things and after everything he had told me about his past, I wasn't surprised. I had shocked him with my actions and it would take time for Daryl to grow into the change and decide where he stood. I respected that and appeared happy enough to let him take his time. _I would be here when he made his decision. _

When I reached the outside, I all but sprinted across the yard and grass compound. I quickly made my way in between the perimeter fences, all the time my eyes scanning the tree line, waiting to spot that familiar figure. My heart seemed to have flared into life at the prospect of seeing Michonne and Merle again. _After so long! _

Long ago had the idea of them returning died and in one mere look it had almost returned. Though surely I was just imagining these things? Surely it wasn't _Michonne_ that I saw? The excitement within was still enough to fuel my hopes.

I continued around the perimeter, my eyes stalking every movement I thought that I glimpsed. _Please. _When I finally reached the spot I saw her at, I paused to stare at they empty space. _Perhaps I was truly dreaming? _The emptiness screamed so, but there was something nagging at me that made me reconsider for a moment.

Swallowing hard, I backed off a little. I shouldn't be chasing silly visions. I shouldn't be holding onto the past. _I should have let Michonne and Merle go by now. I owed them nothing, what use would it be to keep bringing them back when they weren__'__t here any more? _Though when I made to walk away, something stopped me. An invisible force that wouldn't let me return back to the prison. _Back to the group. _

I had once described Michonne, Merle and myself as family - a broken and dysfunctional family but one nonetheless. And I wasn't sure I was prepared to turn my back on them completely. _Not without making sure. _Especially not after everything we'd been through.

I glanced at the prison, thinking about those within, and decided that if I was quick I could take a look around the immediate area outside the perimeter and return back before they even realised I'd gone longer than I'd told them. They wouldn't have been any wiser. Swallowing hard, I took the plunge. The plunge toward Michonne and Merle.

Ignoring the knowledge that the group would be angry if they knew what I was doing, I rushed to find a part in the fence that had been makeshift-tied with cable. I made quick work at undoing it and crawled through the gap when it was big enough and out of the safety of the fence. Just as quickly, I redid the cable and didn't hesitate before running towards the tree line; not wanting to attract the attention of any walkers that were staggering by our prison.

The undergrowth was thick and I had to haul myself through the first wade of bushes before I could venture further in. All the time, my eyes scanned between the trees, trying to spot the familiar figure I had seen before. _Hoping _and _praying _that I would see her.

Which way I was going, I wasn't sure, and after a while I knew I had ventured further than I had intended. It seemed that I _was_ chasing shadows after all but I had no intention of stopping just yet. I _should _give up and turn back before the others realised I'd gone longer than I said and would come looking. _Hadn__'__t I intended _not _to cause a fuss? _

But I couldn't seem to will my legs to turn around, not with the prospect of seeing Michonne and Merle again, and I just kept going. My eyes worked frantically, taking in every detail and looking for any sign of life. So far, I hadn't even found a walker. _Strange? _

My pace slowed a little when my brain caught up with them and I realised fully what a stupid thing I had done. The group deserved more than what I had done, they didn't deserve to be worrying about where I was just because I was chasing after a dream in the dampened woods. It wasn't fair. _I__'__d pay when I got back, that was for sure. _With a sigh, I made to turn back and head to the prison, though a noise caught my attention. A whirling, propelling sound? _Buzzing? _It seemed high off the ground to be a car…

A _helicopter? _

I watched in a daze as the sleek black helicopter flew over top of the trees, heading in a different direction altogether to the one I was heading in. Smoke followed it's tail heavily and I knew something was wrong. Though that wasn't what concerned me the most - _living people must be driving it. _The sight of it numbed me down for a moment and I was completely taken back by the sight of the helicopter. Though the thought of more people struck me again and after a moment's hesitation, I was following it's path at a quick pace.

I wasn't chasing shadows _anymore. _

As the distance increased, I began to lose track of the helicopter as it appeared to be closing in on the ground. I realised quickly that it didn't have the intention of landing and rather the smoke was a huge give away. _They were crashing. _My pace quickened with worry and all so suddenly Merle and Michonne had been briefly forgotten.

An almighty crash finalised the helicopters fate and it had long vanished from view. Up ahead though, smoke began to rise above the treetops and I knew the crash sight was near. The forest opened up into a clearing and the broken wreckage was revealed, I visibly started at the view.

Hissing and groaning were muffled, smoke rising from the cab. By the large propellers, the horrific sight of a body sliced in two greeted me and I had to turn away in fear of vomiting at the freshly dead soldier (_his attire was a giveaway). _Cautiously, I braved nearing the cab to see if there were any survivors, though found two more men, both with gaping wounds and who didn't seem to be breathing. I swallowed down hard before reaching forward, bravely, to try and find a pulse on the nearest soldier.

_Nothing. _

When I tried the other, I was met with the same conclusion. I backed away from the scene, completely startled by the find though felt mixed feelings for it. These soldiers must have come from somewhere_, a safe zone? _I could imagine telling the others, building up their hopes for a better place rather than griming it out at the prison we were in right now. But of course, I had no clue as to where this helicopter had come from. I then had another thought. S_omething _had brought this helicopter down and that was what worried me a moment. Exactly what had done this?

A nearing car engine caught my attention and I quickly backed away toward the thick of the forest for cover. _What else could happen today? _I didn't venture too far away though, I was too intrigued by these new arrivals. Three trucks pulled up by the crash sight and I crouched down by the bushes, waiting anxiously to see who would get out the vehicles. My mind raced viciously at everything I was seeing, what the group would make of all this, I did _not _know.

However my heart lurched when the first car door opened.

The Governor looked different than when I last saw him, though I recognised him instantly. His greasy hair had been cut short and his skin was clean shaved. All around, he looked much cleaner though a change of clothes and a hair cut wouldn't deem him unrecognisable. He was still the same monster from before, the same mannerisms that were detectable instantly and the same smug demeanour that followed. I grimaced at the sight of him, hoping I wouldn't have to see his face ever again since that time long back on the farm. We had been lucky this far, _but our luck was running out apparently_

"Check the bodies." The Governor ordered to his men - most I didn't recognise. His voice was gruff and deeper, still sounding the same as if did months ago.

He slowly approached the severed body with a sauntering pace, that I immediately remembered hating, and stared down at it for a moment with an unfathomable expression. There was a startled moment when the body reanimated and tried to claw at the Governor from it's broken position. The man merely tilted his head at the creature as it struggled uncoordinatedly on the ground. After a very brief hesitation, the man had produced a large, gleaming knife and had plunged it deep into the walker's skull without even a second thought. A sickening crunch and squelch followed when he pulled his knife free from it's forehead.

"Both dead, Gov." One of his men called beside the cab. The Governor wiped the bloodied blade in his hand on his trouser leg.

"Deal with them." The Governor muttered, monotony, and there was a horrifying snap as his men obeyed his command without any unease.

"Suppose it's a shame, really." A familiar voice called from behind one of the trucks. Laurent walked toward the Governor, glancing around the area before standing at his leader's side. He looked exactly the same as the last time I saw him, grey hair, smug stature. Nothing about him was different and the sight of the man made me angry even more so. "If the damn thing hadn't have crashed, we could have used the helicopter. Could have found out where the soldiers were holding up. Could have employed the men into our ranks."

"Not sure the people of Woodbury would be all too pleased with the sight of heavily armed _soldiers _walking the streets." The Governor muttered, eyeing his second-in-command (and my once friend) with thoughtfulness. _What on earth was __'__Woodbury__'__? There was more people in the Governor__'__s group?_

"Just another dead end then, huh?" Laurent sighed, gazing at the crash with a frown. "Pity." The Governor murmured in agreement. "At least we know there's others out there." _A bigger food prospect perhaps? _I thought bitterly. Hatred was building up within me, all that I had bottled up from months ago. I felt all too tempted to jump out from my position and take a swipe at either men.

Though a thought struck, rendering me immobile for a moment. I observed the group and their trucks and took note that they were carrying light. _They were holding up nearby. _This observation drew fear from within me and I felt physically ill at the idea that they could pass by the prison if they carried on through the forest. _Right toward where we rested. _

I was itching to run back to the group, to tell them of the new danger that was posed on us, but I couldn't move from my position without alerting my attention to the Governor and his group. _Fuck! _This was not good, _not good at all. _

"Hey, Gov, looks like we got company!" One of the men hollered and for a moment I was scared that I'd been spotted. Though when a walker staggered out from between the trees and into the clearing, I breathed a sigh of relief when the group's attention was diverted.

The man that had noticed it first made swift work of his wrench, striking the walker hard and clobbering it till it moved no more. The passive looks between the group was mildly sickening but I couldn't dawn on them too much as more walkers began to immerge and the men suddenly tensed.

The mini ambush didn't seem enough for them to handle, though their attention was solely diverted by the walker's. Enough for me to get out of there whilst I could?

However, when I made to run back toward the prison, I turned straight into the path of an unbeknown walker. It's eyes preyed on me and I was visibly stunned as it approached me. Stuttering, I fumbled for my knife though my hands were shaking and I found myself backing into a tree with death apparently imminent.

Suddenly though, the walker halted a metre in front of me and there was a gargling noise as a blade was crunched through it's skull from behind. I eyed it in shock and watched as it fell limp to the floor before raising my eyes to my saviour. Who stood there before me made me glad I had the tree trunk to support me, otherwise I feared I could have collapsed.

She looked exactly the same as she did all those months before. Exactly the same as when we drove the truck away, carrying everything I'd known and grown dependent on in this world. The woman who had saved me from the horror's of the Governor's group stood before me, _very much real. _

Michonne held a finger to her lips and reached forward to grip my arm, pulling me back into a crouch. Her gaze turned back to the Governor and the group, who seemed to have taken out most of the walkers. I couldn't think straight, merely tried to concentrate on the contact and pressure from her grip. _It was so real. _

"You hear something over there?" Laurent muttered, his eyes glancing dangerously in our direction. Attention began to wander over and I felt my heart drop at the thought of being discovered. _Not now, please not now. _

"Perhaps it was an animal?" One of the men suggested. "Or another lurker?" _Lurker? Another word for walker perhaps? _

"Check it out." The Governor muttered, jutting his head in the direction of one of the unnamed men. With a hesitant stride, the man came to investigate, and I felt Michonne's grip tense. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her grip tighten on the blade in her hands. _Oh how I__'__d missed the sight of that blade. _

A muffled grunt caught our attention from behind and I glanced over my shoulder to see a walker stumbling toward the clearing, completely missing Michonne and I from our crouched position. _A blessing? _It staggered straight for the approaching man, but fell in an instance when he dispatched it with a thick, heavy rod. Beside me, Michonne let out a breath of relief.

"Let's get back to Woodbury, boys." The Governor called. "There's nothing here for us."

As quickly as they came, the men began to pack themselves back into their trucks. The Governor remained in the clearing for a moment, gazing around, his eyes passing close to our position but moving over us without a pause. His expression was suspicious though and Laurent had to call to get his attention before the man turned his back on the crash, and us, and head back toward the truck with Laurent behind the wheel. Michonne and I remained crouched as the trucks started up and the small convoy turned and drove away from the clearing

When the noise of their engines died away, relief passed over me.

"Not changed much, has he? Still a complete ass." Michonne muttered, her smooth voice bringing my attention back to her and I rounded on her in an instance.

_She was real. _Alive. After so long of hunting for them, after so long of wishing they'd come back to me and here before me now was the shadow I had been chasing. I couldn't describe the feeling that grew within me, I didn't know whether to be shocked, angry, happy, _confused? _The only thing I did though in that first initial reunion was throw my arms around the stone-hard woman and hold her tight for a moment, needing to truly comprehend that she was _there. _

_Michonne had come back to me. _

_Though where was the last third of our trio?_

"I can't believe you're here." I breathed, pulling away from Michonne.

She smirked a little before standing. With a jut of her head, she lead the way away from the crash site and I trailed aimlessly after her, with no idea what else to do. Though I was confused as to why she was walking away and if to sense my confusion, Michonne slowed her pace so I could keep up.

"We gotta move away from the crash site if we don't want to get swamped by any more dead." She explained. "The noise would have alerted many for miles around so we don't really want to get caught up in all that." I nodded, eyeing the woman, admiring everything about her and trying to explain the happiness within me. _She was alive. _"I thought you were dead."

In that one sentence, she had killed all my happiness straight and I remembered the anger I felt toward the pair for leaving me that fateful day. I stopped dead, glaring at the woman.

"And I bet the guilt was just eating you up." I hissed, sarcastically. Michonne raised an eyebrow at my bitterness.

"I regret everything that happened that day, don't make out that I didn't care because you had no idea what happened." She tried, evenly. I scoffed in reply.

"I know e_xactly _what happened," I began. "You two fucking _left me!__"_I cried, eyes flaring. Michonne narrowed her eyes.

"It wasn't intentional-" Michonne tried, though I cut her off furiously.

"_Intentional _or not, you both still drove off without me. You left me to _die!_"

"It was a _mistake._" She muttered back. "I thought Merle told me to 'go', I did _not _know we'd left you until it was too late!"

"You could have come back for me!" I retorted, the pain of abandonment suddenly raw again. Michonne shook her head, her expression softening slightly.

"I didn't know what had happened until Merle tried to take over the wheel, screaming incoherent bullshit at me. We lost control of the truck and ransacked it. There was so many of them after us, we had no choice but to grab everything and go." She explained. "Besides, there didn't seem like there was much hope for you. There was so many-" She trailed off, eyeing me up and down for a moment before smiling slightly. "Though we were wrong; look at you now! I knew you were a _survivor._"I eyed the woman in silence for a moment, taking in the truth behind her gaze and realising that she regretted what had happened that day. "I know it doesn't mean much now, but I'm _sorry _for what happened."

"You're right, it doesn't mean much now." I sighed, shaking my head. "But it doesn't matter anymore. That's in the past." I studied her again, expecting her to be a vision that would disapear in the blink of an eye, though she grinned back at me and I felt a lot more hopeful than I had in a long time. "But you're here now and we're both fine." I grinned at the woman, though it flattered a little when another thought occurred. "What about Merle?" Almost instantly Michonne's smile faded too and I feared the worst.

_Oh God no, not after I__'__ve just gotten Michonne back. _

"I lost Merle around the same time that I lost you." She told me. "Things were heated between us and it would have never worked anyway just the two of us, I knew that from the start. Not without _you._" She sighed. "We were attacked by a load of the dead one day and we got separated. I haven't seen Merle since then, but he was alive the last time I saw him."

"You've been travelling alone all this time?" I asked with a frown. Michonne nodded numbly and I was saddened by this. I had been with Rick's group for little around nine months now and all this time (and longer) Michonne had been travelling _alone? _

"It doesn't matter anymore though." She shrugged before smirking. "I've found _you _again. We don't have to be alone anymore, neither of us do."

"I'm not alone." I shook my head and Michonne raised a confused eyebrow. I hesitated before continuing, unsure whether telling Michonne about the group was a good thing but then remembered that this was _Michonne, _whom I trusted beyond all else. "I met another group and I've been with them for a long time now." Michonne's eyes immediately narrowed suspiciously. "They're _good _people, Michonne."

"I didn't think there was many _good _people left in this world anymore." She muttered, darkly, and I refrained from rolling my eyes at the typically _Michonne _comment.

"Do you not trust my judgement?" I questioned. Michonne snorted.

"Still got that attitude on you, after all this time." She observed. "You ain't changed a bit." I smiled.

"Neither have _you._" We stared at each other silently for a moment, reminiscing on past times and just getting used to each other's presence again - for Michonne, I suppose, she also had to get used to another living presence after so long in solitude. "I'll take you to my group, if you want? Like I said, they're good people. You don't have to be alone anymore." Michonne's expression resumed suspicion, but it didn't phase me. Even after so long without her presence, I was able to remain immune to her hardened stare. "Do you trust me?"

There was another long pause as I offered my help toward my once friend. My last question still lingered in the air and I waited for my reply that would no doubt decide the ground in which we both stood on. Michonne's eyes implored mine, gouging out everything within and I merely stared back neutrally. Though I could not deny that I was tense at her reply. _I didn__'__t want her to leave me after so long of trying to find her. _

A tight nod sealed our friendship and I grinned at my friend. Without another exchanged work between us on the matter, I lead the way back through the undergrowth, a beam still present on my face with the stalking footsteps of Michonne trailing up beside me. What had happened with the Governor would certainly be something that I'd need to discuss with Rick as soon as we arrived back at the prison, but for now I was content with basking in the happiness that was the thought that my friend had returned to me.

Back safe to me, _alive._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Quite a rushed update for you all. I may look back on it later on and redo it because I'm not quite happy with it, though I'll wait to see what you guys think. _

_A lot happening here: I've reintroduced the Governor and a little add into Woodbury to answer all your questions regarding how far into that arc I was going! ;) And also a certain someone has returned to Ruby! Yes, Michonne is back, though without Merle... Any guessed what you think has happened to our handless Dixon? _

_Thanks for those who reviewed my last chapter, please spare some time to comment on this one. It would mean a great deal! :) Thanks very much again and I'll update when I can!_


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

_Chapter Thirty Five_

I listened intently as Michonne told me her story on her survival over our distance apart. She had gritted through a lot though seemed to have grown accustomed to the lack of human contact. A memory crossed my mind for a moment as Michonne recounted her tale, the memory of when Merle and I caught Michonne talking to herself that time long ago. _Ol__'__ Micky__'__s gone crazy! _I eyed the woman beside me curiously, wondering how much mental damage isolation from human contact had caused but decided that in that moment _I didn__'__t care. _We could cross any of those bridges when we came to them, for now I was content with having my friend back.

As we neared the prison, a sudden fear about how the group would react became evident within me. Not only had I left without telling anyone, but I would be bringing back a total stranger into our ranks, _our home_. Though I trusted Michonne with my life, I knew it wouldn't be the same for the others and I couldn't expect it to be easy. But maybe the news of the Governor would occupy their thoughts and concerns when I told them?

"This group of yours," Michonne began slowly. I glanced at the woman, taking in her stern expression. "You sure they're _good people?__"_

"Very much so." I muttered in reply, not liking her harsh reaction towards the group. _My group. _"Like I said, I've been with them for so long now. We've been through hell and back and I know the group would do anything for each other. They're not like the Governor and his men, I promise." Michonne met my gaze, taking in my defiant expression for a moment before nodding.

"I _trust _you, Ruby." She told me, slowly. "Though don't expect me to hold the same regard for these people, not initially anyway." I nodded with understanding.

"No doubt you'll be met with the same reaction." I told her with a sigh. Michonne didn't seem bothered by this and even shrugged. "A few months ago, we lost a considerable amount of us." I began to tell her. "It was at the hands of people we'd let into the group," Michonne's eyebrows raised at this. "So I don't think they'll be welcoming you so warmly because you're a stranger to them. Potentially a threat. After what happened-" I trailed off, grimacing at the images of Ben and Billy's massacred little bodies. "These people were sick enough to slaughter two innocent little boys, that's how bad it got."

"And after that you're _sure _they're good people? They're able to kill their own. Able to kill _children._" Michonne resumed her suspicion.

"They were inmates, the people that attacked us. _Prison inmates. _We're holding up in a prison and we found four of them alive while we were clearing it out. They joined us, but didn't take too kindly when a few more came across this place a couple of months back and stayed with us. The prisoners intended to kill off the newcomers, though we snuffed out one of the perpetrators and he was executed." I paused, glancing at Michonne and found a hard but thoughtful expression looking back at me. "We didn't realise the others were involved until they let walkers loose in the prison, intentions of killing us all off for what we'd done to their friend."

"_Walkers?_" Michonne muttered and I smiled a little, remembering my same question directed at Sophia all that time back.

"That's what they call the dead; I've picked it up." I explained to her. She nodded once.

"What happened to the other inmates? The ones that let the _walkers _loose on you?" She asked.

"Dead." I replied, bluntly. "Though another three of our own were killed during the overrun and that left a huge chunk in our ranks." I sighed, thinking about the fallen. "Before the prison we were on a farm but the Governor and Laurent launched an attack on us and we were forced out. Another five died that day too."

"Seems you've been through a lot with these people." Michonne observed and I nodded in confirmation. "How did you come across them?"

"A little girl called Sophia." I told her, with a fond smile. "She's part of their group and she had gotten separated from them. I found her being chased by walkers in the forest and helped her. Promised I'd take Sophia back to her group and we tracked them down for the best part of two weeks before we found them. I've been with the group ever since." I paused at this, thinking about _who _we'd come across after two weeks of looking for Sophia's group, _who_ had taken us back to Sophia's mother and the others. Who also had a very significant relevance to Michonne and I. "Can you remember if Merle ever spoke out a brother?" I blurted out, shocking Michonne for a moment. She frowned before shaking her head.

"I don't think he ever spoke out his family to us." She muttered before narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

"Well," I began. "He had a younger brother, called Daryl." Michonne raised an eyebrow.

"And?" She asked, slowly.

"_And! _And Daryl _Dixon _is the very person who found Sophia and I. He's part of my group." I told her, noting the look of surprise on Michonne's face as I told her.

"Well, that's interesting." She muttered. "Is he like his brother?" I shrugged.

"A little, I suppose." I replied. "He's a lot quieter than Merle was and a lot less arrogant. Though Daryl definitely has a short temper and brute strength, like his older brother. He's a lot more passive too and definitely cares for the group, seems he'd done anything for everyone. He's a lot more admirable than Merle was, but you can definitely tell their brothers." Michonne studied me for a moment before scoffing.

"Great, just when I'd thought I'd rid myself of Merle Dixon and here I'll be meeting a younger version of the man himself!" She muttered and I smiled.

"Daryl's nice, he's not rude or as spiteful as Merle was." I tried to reason, knowing that Michonne would be expecting another string of racial slurs to come her way when we reached the prison. I was met with a thoughtful expression again as Michonne studied me in silence before she nodded once.

Out ahead, I could make out the ground works of the prison. _Home. _I didn't know how to bring Michonne to the group without startling and bringing too much tension. They'd all be in the cell block still, no doubt, but surely if Lori was still on the cameras she'd see me approaching the prison with a stranger and alert them all? That would sure cause a great fuss. Though it seemed that there wasn't any way to do this _without _creating a fuss.

"I passed this prison before." Michonne muttered, suddenly. "I didn't realise there were people inside, though I was curious about the lack of dead in the grounds."

"Yeah, we've not cleared out the whole prison, but we've marked off safe zones." I told her. "I saw you on the CCTV footage that we have working; you were outside the perimeter. That's why I left the grounds, to come find you."

"It's surprising that you would recognise me after so long." Michonne pointed out and I scoffed.

"You're hardly the most subtle of people around." I countered and Michonne smirked.

When we left the cover of the forest, I realised that I was wrong about the group still being inside the cell block. A small part of the group - consisting of Rick, Andrea, Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese and Sasha - were all gathered inside the concrete yard of the prison, seemingly arguing about something. _Me, perhaps? _I swallowed hard, realising I must have been a lot longer than I intended. Michonne tensed beside me and I saw her hand reach toward the strap that her katana was placed in. I sent her a warning look.

"I don't think getting your God damn sword out will help allow these people to trust you." I pointed out. Michonne raised an eyebrow.

"It's helping _me _feel safer and that's all I care about." She rounded back and I narrowed my eyes, though refrained from commenting anymore.

As we descended toward the prison, our approach had been noted and the group were moving toward the perimeter to greet us. I lead Michonne to the front gates, where there were a few walkers, not too many to handle though. Michonne found use of her katana then, taking the walker's heads clean off with one slice. I observed my friend proudly, meeting her grin when our eyes met. The group within the prison had entered the entrance compound now.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Rick demanded, his eyes frantic. I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, Rick." I tried, glancing around to make sure no walkers would approach us unsuspected. Michonne was facing away from Rick and the others, keeping her eyes out for the both of us. I felt safer then. "I know I should have said something, but I didn't want to worry you all."

"And what do you call this?" Andrea hissed, standing to Rick's side. I glanced at her before turning back to Rick.

"Things got a little _complicated._" I tried. I noted the suspicious eyes yearn toward Michonne.

"Who's _this?__"_Sasha called, not subtly at all. I suppressed a glare at the woman and Michonne glanced over her shoulder at the Sasha with a raised eyebrow at the woman's abruptness. Michonne sneered a little and turned away, muttering to herself as she did.

"This is Michonne." I told them all.

"Michonne?" Rick began. "As in-" He trailed off, eyeing up the woman.

"Yes, Michonne. The one who escaped the other group with me."

"Sorry to interrupt your little discussion, but we have company." Michonne, herself, warned. "Better you better either hurry the chit chat or get ready to fight, Kid."

I glanced around, noting that more walkers had begun to stumble out the tree line toward us. When I turned back to the group, Rick and Daryl were already at work at undoing the chain. When it was opened, I urged Michonne inside and the gate was secured again, just in time thankfully. The walkers thrashed against the fence but their efforts were very much in vain. I glanced around the group, noting their hesitant distance between themselves and Michonne. I made a point at standing by her side. When Rick and Daryl had finished with the gate, they turned back to Michonne and I, the former of the men stepping forward.

"How'd you find her, Ruby?" He asked, quietly.

"I saw her on the cameras outside the prison and I went to go check." When I hesitantly looked to Daryl, I saw a frustrated look on the man's face and knew I'd get an earful later from the hunter. "I intended to be real quick but things didn't really go the way I planned."

"Do they know?" Michonne asked suddenly, shocking me for a moment. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Do they know about _them?__"_I didn't need her to elaborate, I knew exactly _who_ she meant.

"Yes." I nodded. "I told them all about them." Michonne narrowed her eyes.

"Everything?" After a pause, I nodded again.

"_Everything.__"_I concluded and Michonne looked satisfied with this. She turned to meet the gaze of Rick.

"The last group we were with," She began, keeping her voice monotone. "Have become a threat to you and your people and you'll no doubt find out soon enough." The news shocked Rick and the others for a moment and no doubt memories of the attack on the farm were brought back.

"How do you know?" Tyreese asked, slowly. Though Tyreese didn't know the full extent of my past and the previous group I was with, I had told him and Sasha a considerable amount. Enough for them to at least have a clue what the discussion was about. She met the man's gaze, eyeing him appreciatively for a moment.

"Because I know _where _they are." Michonne replied. _This was news to me. _"They've got themselves a town called Woodbury, it's heavily secured and they've got a substantial amount of people residing inside. One of mine and Ruby's old friends runs the show, calls himself 'The Governor'. Just now, we spotted a small proportion of them. They were investigating a helicopter crash nearby but they're on their way _home_ now, if not already there." She eyed the prison over the group. "It's a wonder how they've not found you _guys_ before though to be honest."

"How close are they?" Rick asked after a long moment of startled silence.

"A few hours driving then another mile hiking, that's for sure." She replied. "Though that wouldn't exactly stop them passing by here." The group resumed silence again and everyone seemed to linger over this new threat against the group. Suddenly a darkened look passed over Rick's face and he stepped forward.

"How do we know _you__'__re _not part of that group?" He hissed at Michonne.

"Rick." I warned, not liking the accusations against my friend. He didn't understand what we had gone through with those people. He didn't understand that there wasn't a hope in hell that Michonne would be part of their ranks, or even a chance that the Governor would allow her. He'd much rather _have her head as a trophy! _

"Don't you _dare_ consider me as part of those people." Michonne muttered back, her tone dangerous. The standoff between the pair was tense and even though Rick backed out of her face, there was still heavy dislike between the pair.

"I trust her, Rick." I urged, hoping that my word meant something. Rick met my gaze and I noticed his expression soften a little. When he turned back to Michonne though, the stern resumed.

"So, you just wandered past us by chance?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She scoffed.

"I didn't know anyone was in here, I was just passing by. I didn't even attempt to get in, I just kept going." She told me. "The only reason I'm here is because of Ruby. I was making my way to the helicopter crash site and found her there."

A pause.

"Rick, shouldn't we be more concerned 'bout this Governor?" Daryl piped up suddenly, taking Rick's attention. Rick observed his second-in-command. "Look what happened last time those bastards got involved. Shouldn't we been tryin' think 'bout _that_ rather than argue 'bout this?" Rick seemed to see logic in Daryl's suggestion and nodded firmly.

"We'll head back to the cell block, we'll talk about this with the rest of the group." Rick announced, glancing at Michonne. "We can make the formal introductions then."

"Can't wait." Michonne muttered, just as bitterly as Rick was.

The leader sneered a little before walking off, making his way back toward the main building with a meaningful stomp. Michonne lingered behind and I felt obliged to stay with her. I wasn't surprised either when Daryl remained behind too. He eyed Michonne for a moment before turning his attention to me. His gaze then fell hard and I shied away slightly.

"Ya _lied_ to me." Was the first thing Daryl said. This was a thousand times worse than any bellowing the man could have done. A slight hurt tone tinged the sentence and I swallowed hard.

"Daryl, I'm sorry-"

"Ya could 'ave told me what ya were doin'!" Daryl cut in. "I would 'ave understood."

"Would you?" I countered. "You probably wouldn't have let me go at all!"

"I could have come with ya."

"Why? I'm fine, aren't I? I can handle myself, remember?" I tried to keep my tone light, not wanting a full blown argument with the man. Especially not with Michonne observing on the sidelines.

"Ain't the point." He muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Group were worried sick 'bout ya. Sophia was nearly in God damn tears! Ya should have told someone." I nodded with a sigh. "Ya should have told _me!__"_

"I know I should have, but I wasn't thinking right." I tried to explain. "I really am sorry, Daryl." The hunter eyed me for a moment and I knew he was far from happy. Though the awkward glances towards the woman beside me was enough to tell me that Daryl wasn't comfortable keeping this up with Michonne staring him down. Instead, the man dropped the conversation, _for the time being, _and took up a new one.

"_You're_ Michonne?" He muttered. Michonne raised an eyebrow.

"And _you _must be Merle's brother." She countered before glancing at me. "I can see the resemblance." _Really? _Daryl was startled by this for a moment before his gaze hardened.

"Where's my brother?" He demanded, harshly.

"I don't know." Michonne shrugged, carelessly. "Lost him a while back." I didn't like the throw-away tone that my friend was using and noted how Daryl began to seethe with anger.

"What happened to my brother? _What did ya do?__" _Michonne scoffed at his accusation.

"We got separated, your brother wasn't the easiest of people to keep on a leash." She muttered, only causing Daryl to glare harder.

I studied the man's reaction, taking in his anger but also noting the hurt behind the wall. The first news of his brother in a long time and he'd reached a dead end _again. _I couldn't imagine the turbulence going through the hunter's mind at the moment. All his worries and doubts about his brother's state must have been intensified by the knowledge that yet again, his brother had vanished from contact.

"We'll find him, Daryl." I tried to reassure the man, taking the brave leap by reaching forward and gripping the man's hand in mine. His harsh gaze turned to me, softening considerably. He eyed me for a moment, trying to work out where he stood and taking in my comment all in one. I took in the emotions behind his eyes, and I saw that he was trying to convince himself of my remark, trying to convince himself that everything would be alright and that he would find his brother one day.

"Ya know what," Daryl began, suddenly harsh. There was a flip of emotions in his eyes and back was his hard expression. He snatched his hand away from mine, roughly, as if I had _wounded _him. "I'm _done_ worryin' 'bout Merle! He ain't my problem any more! He ain't done nothin' for me, or tried lookin' for me, so why should I bother?! The bastard might as well be dead for all I care!" With that, Daryl turned on his heels and stalked away. I watched him go, stunned by his outburst and feeling slightly hurt by his tone.

"You were right about his temper." Michonne observed. I glanced back at my friend, prying my eyes away from Daryl, to see her watching me closely.

"What?" I demanded, not liking the sudden imploring gaze that made me feel self conscious.

"You didn't tell me you'd grown _close_ to the younger brother." She muttered and I narrowed my eyes, suddenly not needing her prodding comments.

"C'mon, they'll wonder why we're not coming." I urged Michonne to lead the way toward the prison. She hesitated before she did, eyeing me evenly for a moment before moving.

When everyone was inside the cell block, immediate suspicion over Michonne was evident. Rick had already told the others before we'd got there but everyone still looked intently shocked when I entered the cell block with a very strange looking Michonne at my side. Stories were passed and elaborated between the group and Michonne attempted to explain herself. Soon attention was brought onto the Governor and the threat the other group deemed. Fear washed through the group immediately.

"What if they find us, Rick?" Glenn asked, warily. "Look what they did last time."

"I may add that you're seriously lacking in numbers." Michonne noted quietly. Glenn eyed her carefully, still looking shocked by the woman's presence. Most had kept their distance from the new arrival and even Sophia hadn't run to greet me like she normally did. Probably due to the fact I was standing right beside the _stranger_.

"How do you know so much about them?" Andrea demanded through narrowed eyes.

"I reencountered them recently and have been observing their movements ever since." She explained. "Been trying to figure out a plan to slit that bastard's throat for a while now." I was a little unnerved by this, unnerved that Michonne was taking such an animalistic view on the matter. But I remembered exactly _who _we were talking about and reconsidered my judgement. "On the bright side, they're not cannibals anymore."

"What do you mean?" Lori asked, holding both Sophia and Carl close to her. I smiled apologetically at the woman, trying to show how sorry I was for lying to her in one look. When she met my gaze her expression softened and she beamed weakly back. _Thank God she forgave me. _When I looked away, I noted that Michonne had observed the interaction between us with narrowed eyes.

"From what I've heard through passing conversation," Michonne replied. "They've given up their _delicacy. _I think the Governor's trying to impose the safe-haven idea upon the people in Woodbury, make himself seem like the high almighty leader so they will willingly follow him." She snorted meeting my gaze. "Suppose we both know all about _his _leadership." I nodded in agreement, grimacing.

"What are the numbers like?" Rick asked, folding his arms across his chest. Michonne thought for a moment, glancing around the group.

"Extensively larger than this." She muttered. "Though most of Woodbury seems to be made up of civilians. Though I will add that they have a heavily armed guard." She looked to me again. "What we saw today was the majority of it, though some would have remained to keep watch over the town." I remembered the large number and chewed my lip thoughtfully.

"And what's this about a helicopter?" Sasha piped in. Michonne turned to me, as if she'd had enough of talking now and wanted me to take charge.

"I'm not really sure what happened to it, but a helicopter crash landed a little way off from here." I explained to the group. "I followed it's path to the crash site, there were no survivors though the people inside looked to be soldiers - heavily armed and military geared. The Governor and group arrived shortly after I had and must have come to investigate too."

"Where did it come from?" Maggie asked and I shrugged. Silence fell upon the group for a moment. "It could have come from a safe place?" Maggie suggested finally, glancing around the group hopefully.

"If they were soldiers then surely they must have a military base somewhere?" Sasha continued, also looking decidedly hopeful. I immediately regretted mentioning the helicopter after seeing how much hope now filled the group from this particular piece of information. _Useless hope? _

"Rick?" Lori tried hesitantly. I knew she was wary to speak directly to her husband, considering the tension between the pair of them. Rick visibly started at his wife calling him and looked to her. They merely regarded each other for a long moment, their eyes speaking so many volumes that none could understand but them. Finally, Lori swallowed hard and continued. "What do _you_ think?" She asked softly. Rick thought before answering.

"I think, for the time being, we need to forget about this helicopter." He replied slowly. "We have more important issues to consider." After a pause, he turned to Michonne. "Do you remember where this Woodbury is?"

"Yes." The woman nodded slowly, after a pause.

"Then you'll be leading us there."

I think the group were quite shocked at Rick's intention to head to Woodbury and many nervous glances were shared amongst them. Though Rick's word was final and he deemed Herschel and Tyreese in charge of the group while he, Daryl, Andrea, Michonne and myself headed to Woodbury under my stranger friend's direction.

The five of us left the cell block without the others, not needing any sort of send off today. After weapons were gathered, Rick distributed orders for Tyreese and Herschel to abide by under any situation while we were gone. He bided goodbye to his son, as I did Sophia, and I noted the brief smile that he passed to Lori before he left. The tearful smile in return from his wife made my heart ache at the scene.

We filed out the prison grounds without effort in the safey of the green Hyundai and Michonne immediately took up shot gun, along side Rick in the driver's seat, leading us the way to Woodbury.

The drive was mostly in silence, other than some more clarification from Michonne about Woodbury. The air was most certainly tense between us. After hours of driving - just like Michonne had said - my friend told us to pull over and said that we better walk the remainder of the way as the Woodbury group sometimes had patrols through this part of the forest. We carried on our march with rapid speed.

I held back from the others, walking at the rear of the procession and observing everything. Rick and Michonne were discussing things intently, about the Governor and all Michonne knew on Woodbury. Andrea lagged a little behind them and occasional put her input into their conversation. Daryl was a distance to the right of the group, his eyes intently stalking the forest for any movement or threat.

The day's events had happened so quickly, alarmingly so. This morning, I would have never considered that I would reunite with an old friend or that the almost peace of our life would be startled again by monsters from our past. What we'd find at Woodbury, I didn't know. I didn't expect a lot. All that passed through my mind was the intensifying threat that was imposed on the group now._ Our sanctity had been disrupted. _

My gaze wandered toward the stray member of our small group. Daryl's movements remained vigilant and he was therefore unaware of my scrutiny. I observed the man with painful thoughts. He had _given up. _Given up on his brother, the only remaining family he had left. After long of raised hopes, it had all be shattered with Daryl's frustrated revelation. _He didn__'__t care about Merle anymore. _

The hand that he had snatched his own away from still burnt from the rejection. I debated whether to talk to the man, try and reason that he should keep hope for his brother. Though suddenly Daryl looked my way, meeting my gaze. I attempted to smile at him, though was greeted by a hardened stare and narrowed eyes. He looked away immediately and continued to scower the area with a scowl on his face. _My heart fell. _The idea of talking to the man flew right out of the window.

_It seemed that Daryl wasn__'__t so forgiving at me lying to him. _

We continued on for some time, stopping a few times for short breaks. There were a few occasions were a group of walkers passed by though they were taken out easily. Michonne would urge us on, telling us that we'd be there soon. Though it seemed, after a while, that it was almost as if we were chasing nothing.

Finally though we reached an abandoned train (_an odd sight)_ and Michonne's pace slowed. She glanced over her shoulder at us all with a guarded expression.

"We better keep our voices at low volumes, they'll have scouts on the wall." She climbed inside on of the carriage containers and crept through. The rest of us followed and she gestured for us to crouch down low as we approached the exit of the container on the other side. Meeting our gazes, she pointed outside the carriage and we all took a look.

Abandoned cars and scattered debris covered the overgrown ground. Some bodies lay dotted about too - all walkers already dispatched. Taking in the surroundings, I noted a few rusted houses that looked like they hadn't been lived in in a long time. What immediately drew my attention was a high wall that strung around a cluster town-like place, made from upturned trucks and impenetrable looking materials. People patrolled the top of the wall and I noticed a large double-doored gate that lead into whatever the wall sectioned off from the outside wall. The people on top were heavily armed and worryingly so.

"_This is Woodbury_." Michonne muttered as we all stared in awe.

"It's just a small town?" Andrea asked, Michonne nodded.

"They've built a wall all the way around with guards pretty much in every direction." She told us. "Pretty much impenetrable."

"Are they military?" Rick asked, eyeing up the people cautiously. "Their weapons suggest that they are."

"I don't think so." Michonne admitted. "I think they've scavenged a lot of their weapons from around the area. Like I said, it's a real wonder how they've not come across your prison yet."

"Small miracles." Andrea said, nodding. "They look well stocked. You say there's _civilians _living in there?"

"Got themselves their own little community." Michonne muttered with a sneer. I observed the thoughtful look on Andrea's face, suddenly not liking the way she seemed to mull over something in her head.

"And you're _sure _they're a threat?" Andrea asked, suddenly. Michonne and I rounded on her, eyes both identical in heavy shock. "Because this," She gestured to the town. "Doesn't seem that much like a threat. It looks like a _life. _It seems all this Governor is doing is trying to build somewhere safe for his people."

"That man is a _monster.__"_ Michonne hissed. "You have no idea what he's done."

"What he's doing _now _is what I'm interested in." Andrea countered. "We've all made mistakes in the past, I suppose it's reasonable that this man may just be trying to do what we've been doing. _Surviving.__"_She paused, eyeing the town carefully before nodding. "And he seems to be doing a better job at it than us. This could be exactly what we've been looking for; a safe place to live again."

"You've got to be kidding me!" I muttered, glaring at the blonde. "Have you just completely ignored _everything _that we've told you about these people? Was the attack on the farm not enough to clarify everything? _This man _is the reason Dale and many more that we cared about are dead!" Andrea's expression hardened and she returned my glare will full force.

"Enough!" Rick hissed, eyeing us both harshly.

"Think about it though, Rick." Andrea tried again. "You've got a pregnant wife who is going to be giving birth any day now and we're not _ready _for that. At all. Do you really want you child to be born in some dingy prison with little medical supplies or would you not rather your child be born somewhere _safe _and sanitary?"

"You don't want _help_ from these people." Michonne muttered darkly. "Though if you're worried about supplies I could direct you to a town nearby? I came across it a few weeks back. There's a drug store there that is pretty much left untouched, looks like no one's found it yet." Her suggestion was met with a few suspicious stares but she ignored them all. "You _do not _need to ask for _their _help!"

"We're not discussing this now." Rick shook his head. "We'll head back to the prison, discuss with the others about this." He lead the way out of the carriage and the rest of us followed. After a few paces away from Woodbury, I paused with a thought.

"Rick, why not head to this drug store?" I suggested. "Andrea's right; we're running far too low on supplies for Lori and as she's due any day now-"

"We _need _to get back." Rick urged and I knew his eagerness could possibly be a mixture of fear of leaving the group alone with this new 'threat' out there and the idea that his wife could be giving birth right this moment, or very _soon. _He didn't want to waste time loitering.

"It's not _too_ far out of your way." Michonne muttered, folding her arms. Rick paused and glared at her.

"Why are you so eager to take us there?" He hissed and Michonne suddenly got defensive.

"I'm not planning anything if that's what you're suggesting." She replied, harshly. "I'm just trying to _help. _Though I understand if you don't want to accept it-"

"How about just I go then?" I tried. "Michonne can take me there and we'll head back to the prison once we're done. You three carry on ahead?" Rick eyed me carefully, taking in my suggestion.

"I don't like letting you go alone."

"I won't be _alone, _I'll have Michonne." I reminded him, though Rick's eyes narrowed as he glanced at my friend. I sighed. "Look, I know you don't trust her but _I do. _And _you _trust _me, _right? Nothing will happen, we'll be gone a little while and we'll be back with more supplies." Rick shook his head for a moment. "Rick, your wife _needs _this. This birth is going to be hard enough for her disregarding the lack of essentials. I want to make this easier for her as I know how difficult this is going to be for Lori." I paused, taking in Rick's expression. "Michonne and I will get the supplies, you return back to Lori and the others. We'll be back before you know it."

"Without the car though, it'll be a longer trip back." Andrea pointed out. Michonne thought a little before humming in agreement with the woman.

"I reckon Ruby and I could make it back in time before nightfall." She said. "It shouldn't be a problem." She shrugged carelessly and the verdict fell to the leader.

Rick remained thoughtful, his eyes displaying the range of emotions he was going through as he considered my idea. Behind him, Andrea waited with her arms folded and an expectant expression. Daryl was a little way away, though seemed displeased by the interaction between Rick and I. His expression was harsh still and I tried not to keep my gaze on the hunter's for too long as his eyes just oozed with anger. _Not my favourite side of Daryl__'__s. _

Finally, Rick nodded slowly, glancing between the two of us.

"Fine." He sighed. "But be careful."

I nodded, firmly, allowing Rick to grasp my shoulder and give it one final squeeze before he turned away. Not without sending a harsh glare in Michonne's direction, _a warning_. Andrea paused before following him, smiling at me and mouthed 'good luck'. Daryl was the last to leave. He eyed me with an unfathomable expression and he seemed to be trying to say something. The displeasure was written all over his face and I urged him to say something, _anything, _to me. _I didn__'__t want to part with these bad feelings between us. _

I was disheartened though when Daryl spared one final glance between Michonne and I before turning away and trailing after Rick and Andrea. Deflating, I watched his retreating form and suppressed any emotion from gracing my face. Beside me, Michonne cleared her throat.

"You didn't tell me how_ much _you'd grown close to the younger brother either." She muttered and I refrained from saying anything at my friend about her comment. "C'mon, it's this way." Without another word, she trundled away, heading in a different direction of the others. I paused to stare after Daryl and the other two before following Michonne at a quick pace, trying to ignore the sadness within me at Daryl's darkened mood towards me right now.

Nothing was spoken for a while and I merely followed Michonne's lead as she continued to take me toward this town that she spoke of. After a short time though, Michonne sighed and glanced back at me.

"I take back what I said before," She began. "You've changed a lot since last time I saw you." When I raised an eyebrow, she elaborated. "You were never _this _quiet." I scoffed.

"_You _never pried this much." I retorted. "Guess we've both changed, huh?" Michonne paused.

"So, _that _was your group." I eyed the woman curiously, expecting a snide remark and I was all but ready to jump at Rick and the other's defence. "They weren't what I was expecting, I'll give you that."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" I asked, slowly. Michonne shrugged.

"Not decided yet." She replied, honestly. "You still kept Toby, I noticed." I smiled a little.

"You remembered his name?" I asked, quite shocked that she had done. Michonne smiled back.

"Hard to forget the animal. Smartest dog I've ever seen." She nodded. "I'm glad that he found you, after the crash he just _vanished_. Was worried for him, though he obviously was just waiting for you." A pause. "Now about Merle's brother." Immediately I tensed and narrowed my eyes at the woman.

"What about him?" I questioned. Michonne glanced at me.

"Whatever _that _is that's there between you both, I'm just going to warn you to be careful." She told me and I scoffed at the woman.

"Thanks for the advice." I muttered, sarcastically. Michonne glared at my tone.

"I'm being _serious_." She hissed. "If he's anything like his brother then I'd steer well clear of _that _side of your relationship."

"_If he__'__s anything like his brother_? What exactly was Merle like then? And I didn't think this was any of your business to be honest." I asked, frowning. Michonne smirked.

"It never is my business." She pointed out and I remembered our initial meetings and how disregarding I was of all of her advice. _Not much had changed. _"I'm just trying to be helpful. Merle wasn't the good guy, Ruby, you know that. I know that we went through a lot with him and I know you cared for him, but that doesn't take anything away from his character. I've known men like him before and they're not people you want to get involved in."

"Merle did a lot for us, for the _both of us. _You can't just keep selling him out like that." I muttered. "_And _Daryl isn't Merle. They're two completely different people. You're far too quick to judge, Michonne." She shrugged, eyeing me carefully.

"Like I said, just trying to be helpful." She told me again, before sighing. "The town should be up ahead."

Just as Michonne said, the town came into view and we headed toward it with trepidation. The streets looked very much deserted though, so that was mildly comforting. Though we remained on alert, just in case. It was a small looking town, that didn't seem to have been hit with the apocalyptic destruction, but rather rusted abandonment. _Comforting? _We made our way up the empty street before Michonne nodded to one of the small buildings on the right.

"In there." She said, leading the way towards the drug store.

Michonne and I spent a good hour or so packing all we could manage into bags that we found in the abandoned shops. After we'd gathered all we could from the drug store, we moved onto different shops and took everything that seemed useful. The bags we found were surely filling up and I knew this would please the others when we returned back to the prison. _Perhaps earn Michonne some brownie points too? _

"Thank you for this." I said, suddenly, eyeing my friend across the aisle of the small supermarket. Michonne glanced up and met my gaze. "I know things are hard right now with them, but the group will warm to you. They will trust you one day and I think this will help." _This _being Michonne's suggestion to come to this town. The supplies we had gathered would pile nicely with the ones we already had and I knew Herschel would most definitely be pleased with what we'd bring back to them.

"Suppose I understand where they're coming from." She shrugged. "To them I'm just a total stranger that you picked out of the woods. Gotta respect them for being cautious." I heard the ruffling sounds as Michonne continued to shove various items in the bags she had been supplying.

We carried on in silence for a good while and I dulled out the sounds of Michonne's murmuring as I continued to pack things in my bag. _Ol__'__ Micky__'__s gone crazy! _With a sigh, I glanced across the small shop towards where my friend had her back to me.

"Did you mourn?" I called to her. She glanced over her shoulder at my question. "When you thought I was dead; did you mourn?" Michonne smiled sadly.

"We both did." She nodded. "I think that's what pulled us both apart the most, knowing that we'd been influencial for your death. Merle blamed me for driving away and I blamed him for not communicating properly. I knew things would never work out between us both without your medium. Things went down hill for us both after the day you'd _died.__"_

I didn't know whether to be happy or sad by the news. Happy because the pair of them cared enough to mourn for me, though sad that things had fallen apart between them both _because _of me. It was a nasty balance.

Once our bags were pretty much stuffed full, we left the shop and began our journey back to the prison. Though we hadn't made it very fair down the street when Michonne stopped walking, her expression suddenly tense. I observed my friend as she frowned and looked around. I suddenly felt nervous.

"What is it?" I asked, slowly, fearing the worst.

"I thought-" She trailed off and continued to frown at the town around us. I eyed the area around us suspiciously, though was unsure what had startled Michonne. Suddenly though, movement caught the corner of my eye and I saw a figure approaching us from down the street.

"Michonne." I nodded in the direction of the approaching figure, which was too far away to recognise. What was evident though, was that they weren't a walker. Their movements were too planned and concise. Michonne turned too and watched the figure approach. Her body tensed again and I noticed the way she glanced at me awkwardly. "What?" I muttered, ready with my weapons. When I turned back to the figure though, I knew why she was looking at me so weirdly.

"Ruby!" My sister cried, quickening her pace towards us. I froze.

Jessica stood before me, her whole countenance a picture of happiness as she gazed at me. She hadn't changed much, her figure had slimmed but otherwise she was still the same. My entire being stopped moving at the sight of her and memories of everything between us rushed back to me and I didn't know what to think anymore. We had parted on bad terms, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. _My sister _stood before me, alive and well. Today was the day of reunions it seemed.

"You're alive!" Jessica gushed out. "Jesus, I never thought I'd see you again!" She tried to step closer though Michonne had her katana out in an instant and had it aimed at Jessica's throat. Sisterly instincts rushed into action and I shoved Michonne's blade away immediately.

"Don't you dare." I warned the woman, matching her glare.

"You can't be serious?" Michonne hissed, eyeing my sister with suspicion. "She's with _them.__"_For some reason, this didn't ring the alarm bells that it should have done. All that I saw before me was _my sister. _My little sister who I hadn't seen in _so long. _

"Lay off." I muttered, before turning to my sister. Jessica smiled warmly when I met her gaze but didn't make another attempt forward.

"Oh God, Ruby! I've missed you so much!" Jessica began. "After that night, I've not been able to live with myself for what I did to you. Oh, I'm so sorry for everything I've done." I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter, Jess." I smiled. "What matters is that we're _both _alright. I still love you, regardless of what's happened between us. We're _sisters _after all."

"Where have you been?" She asked, her face thoughtful. "Have you two honestly been surviving alone all this time?" There was something about her tone that I should have cottoned onto but for some reason my body went into overdrive and I shook my head before I could stop myself. The words vomited from my mouth next.

"No, I've been with another group. A _better _group." I told her, biting back the words as I did. I saw Michonne tense out of the corner of my eyes and I knew then I'd made a big _mistake. _One I couldn't take back.

"Another group?" Jessica muttered, her tone far from ecstatic anymore. "Interesting."

The sounds of a gun clicking sounded and the pressure of a barrell touched the back of my head. My body tensed when a sickening smirk graced the features of my sister's pretty face and all too quickly the sisterly love had died and hatred burned within me again. When I glanced at Michonne, I tried to show her how sorry I was, but could only watch in horror as an unnamed man struck her on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. Her body fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I'm a little disappointed in you, Sister." Jessica sighed. "I would have thought you'd have learnt from last time." I gritted my teeth.

"And I'd have thought you'd have stop being so weak-willed but I guess you're still the same traitorous bitch as you were before." I spat back at her. Jessica's eyes narrowed and I glared back at her. _Sisterly love, huh? _

Her scowling face was the last thing I saw before the butt of a gun snapped the back of my head and I felt myself fall to the ground as I was nothing but dead weight now. Everything around me then drifted into black and I entered the dark, dreary world of unconsciousness.

* * *

_(Author's Note): Wow, another update! I'm truly spoiling you people. ;) Thanks for the response on the last chapter, I'm glad that people are pleased with Michonne's reappearance! I'm very happy to have her back! :) I've been missing her a lot! _

_Of course, the Woodbury arc is going to be played a little differently in my story, but that's how everything has been from the start of Loginquitas :) I'll be introducing ideas from both comics and the show so hopefully it'll work for you guys. Also my intention is to get another couple of chapters out before the series restarts again - hence the super fast update! And plus I've been watching far too many promos and trailers and reading far too many articles regarding the rest of season 3 - my inspiration is just overflowing! _

_What do you guys thinks about the latest installment? Have I portrayed the group's reaction to Michonne alright? And the introduction to the Woodbury threat? And what about Jessica's latest stunt? Where do you think this leaves Ruby and Michonne... _

_Thanks again for the response from the last chapter, please leave a comment about this one. I greatly appreciate everything you guys have to say! :) I'll update soon! _


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

_Chapter Thirty Six_

The first of my senses to be regained was my hearing and it amplified a distant sound of a tap dripping. A damp, dull smell tickled my nose and slowly I began to return to consciousness, my mind dazed and confused. I found myself sitting on a hard wooden chair, with my hands tied behind my back with something rough and brittle. _Rope perhaps? _When I tugged at my bounds, nothing prevailed and I concluded after a few attempts that they were secured tightly. I opened my eyes slowly, cringing at the sudden light, and took in the room around me.

Michonne's still form was in front of me, in a similar state to myself. Though her eyes were closed and her head lolled to the side; the gentle rise and fall of her chest eased my worries however. We were in a dingy, rustic room with only one door in and out it seemed. No furniture resided in the room beside the chairs Michonne and I had been placed on, and there were worryingly looking stains on the concrete floor. A single light bulb hanging on an unstable wire stood above the room and was our only source of light. It illuminated the room barely and gave it a sinister feel to it.

Pain suddenly struck through me as I recalled the attack to the head that I had received. Wincing, the pain throbbed before dulling slightly. We were alone for the present, though fear began to rise within me and after rushing through the events that had lead up to this, in my head, I began to panic.

My sister's betrayal had been pushed aside for a moment in my mind as I thought about the Governor - a much more dangerous foe than my weak-minded sister. Scenarios of his reaction to our presence presented themselves, each more gruesome than the last and I struggled continuously with my bounds, of course though it was in vain. _Were we in Woodbury? _Surely we must be considering Jessica was with the Governor still? _Wasn__'__t she? _Though one of the bigger of my concerns was _how _they found us. Had the followed us? And if so, did that mean they'd followed Rick and the others back to the prison? _Oh God, no! _

Suddenly, Michonne's form began to twitch and I watched as the woman began to return to the world. When she raised her head, she met my eyes briefly before scanning the room we were in like I had done. Her expression displayed nothing.

"You alright?" Michonne asked, carefully. I nodded before returning the question. She ignored it. "Suppose we're inside Woodbury now."

"Michonne, I'm so sorry. I didn't think! It was my _sister _and I just lost it and-"

"I know." Michonne reassured me with a sigh. "They would have got us anyway. _Bastards.__"_

"But _how _did they find us?" I urged, frantically. "Were they following us? Do you think they followed the others too?" Michonne shook her head.

"I don't know." She admitted, her eyes observing the room critically. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long." A pause. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Michonne repeated, decidedly. I didn't like her tone and tried to think of an idea myself though the fear took hold of me and I couldn't focus on anything logical.

"The others could be in danger, and it's all my fault." I gushed, Michonne turned her gaze at me, studying me for a moment.

"Do _not _blame yourself, Ruby." She told me, firmly. "This is not of our doings, there's only _one _man behind this."

Just then, there was a muffled murmuring sound coming from outside the door. We both turned to it, waiting with fear and expectancy for those behind it to identify themselves. I continued to pull at my bonds, though only managed in restricting my wrists and rubbing the rope harshly against my skin. The door opened with an ease of dishonest grace and three men entered the room, one of whom sent a feeling of hatred coursing through my veins.

The Governor glanced between the pair of us with an odd expression. His scrutiny was only met with matching glares from Michonne and myself, the latter an attempt to remain strong though I was unsure how it would be perceived. The two other men remained at either side of the door, acting as guards by the looks of it, and the Governor took a couple of steps towards us, his eyes blaring with so much distrust.

"Ladies, or perhaps should I call you; _old friends_?" The Governor began with feign politeness. He held his arms out, eagle spread. "Welcome to Woodbury." The two men behind him smirked and I eyed them carefully, taking in their heavy weaponry and realising that my own weapons had been stripped from me. _Of course, I expected no less. _

"A delightful place you've got." I observed with a mutter. The Governor nodded with a smile.

"I've heard some of the people call is paradise." He told us. "Inside here, we're safe from the lurkers and away from the death-"

"You can't escape death." Michonne countered. "No fortified town will protect you." The Governor shrugged and chuckled at this.

"I can try." He countered. There was a pause. "It's been so long since we were last together; it must be over a year now?" Neither answered his question. "God, I have _so many _memories."

"Don't bother sharing." Michonne retorted, bluntly, and the Governor chuckled, far too good-naturedly to be trusted.

"Do you like what I've done?" He asked. "I built Woodbury from nothing but an overrun wasteland. I gave it light and meaning." He paused, taking in our reactions before moving on. "Took me best part of half a year, I reckon, to make things substantial to live in. But I managed, brought those in that needed a place to stay. Woodbury is a safe haven from the outside world." I narrowed my eyes at this, remembering Andrea's opinion on the matter. "I would give you the tour but-" He trailed off, smiling a little. Everything about the man sickened me.

"We'll pass, thanks." I muttered. He stared between us both for a moment, thoughtfully, before he folded his arms across his chest.

"Enough about me," He began, his voice losing some of it's friendliness. "Why don't you tell me about yourselves? Like, where you've been at?"

"Around." Michonne gritted and he laughed.

"That's very vague."

"Well, that's all we can give you." She muttered, shrugging the best she could in her bounds. The Governor exhaled deeply through his nose.

"Jessica told me what you said," He said, addressing me. "You mentioned a _group.__" _I swallowed down the lump in my throat. _How could I have been so stupid?! _I kicked myself a thousand times over for running my mouth. "_Where _are they?"

Neither of us answered. I kept my mouth shut, not trusting myself in speaking anymore. Michonne's expression hardened even more so (if that was possible?) and she stared back at the Governor coolly. The man himself glanced between us both, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered what was before him.

"I can provide your group safety." He offered. "I'm more than happy to welcome more numbers to our town. We have plenty of space." I grinded my teeth, hating his sickly innocent offer. "So why don't you tell us where they're at and we can go get them? Bring them to safety?" Again, neither of us said anything and I observed the way the Governor's jaw tightened at our lack of cooperation. "You answer my question and it'll make things a hell of a lot easier." The Governor said, slowly, his voice dangerously low. Michonne scoffed.

"And why would we want things to be _easy?__" _She sneered. The Governor rounded on her with a terrifyingly dark expression.

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you." He warned. "I know how to keep a _grudge.__" _Michonne smirked a little.

"So do _we.__" _She retorted evenly, without missing a beat. I admired my friend for her defiance but wondered how much her mouth had cost her. My question was answered when the Governor's face fell into a heavy glare and he glanced at me before turning back to his men behind him.

"Take my friend Ruby next door, will you." Not a question, an _order. _"Michonne and I are going to have a nice friendly _chat.__"_

I tensed at his phrasing and tone, but I couldn't do anything as one of the men stepped forward and hoisted me from my seat, abruptly. Struggling, I tried to pull myself from the man, though his grip only tightened on my arm. Glancing over my shoulder, I met Michonne gaze and saw a resigned expression staring back. _Worryingly so. _The Governor obstructed my view, standing directly in front of my friend. The door slammed shut behind them and fear coursed through me.

"Hold still, girl." The man hissed. _Fuck you, _I thought.

I kicked out, connecting with his skin. The man doubled over in pain and I took advantage of his loosened grip to try and run. Though I forgot about the other man and I ran directly into him, colliding with his heavy stature. A heavy palm connected with my face and the force of the slap knocked me off balance. Strong arms took hold of my middle and dragged me back into another room, one next door to the one Michonne was in. I tried to lash out again, but the two men were smarter and kept themselves out of the way from my flailing limbs.

This new room was much the same as the last, though had a table as extra furniture. I was shoved on the chair in front of the table and the men tied me securely to the chair. I struggled with failed efforts, though managed to swipe at the men a few times.

"Why are you doing this?" I hissed, eyeing me men, trying to hold my own. Though inside I was _breaking. _

"There's an old saying; eye for an eye." One of them replied before smirking. "Suppose it applies here."

"I've done nothing to _you.__" _I muttered though the pair just smirked.

"Are you going to cooperate?" The other asked, evenly. When I didn't reply he sighed, dramatically. "I'm sure we can change your mind." With that the pair turned and made to leave me alone in the room, though paused before leaving fully.

"Listen carefully to your friend next door." One began. "But know that no matter _what_ you hear, it isn't going to kill _her_." My eyes widened at the comment and the fear was amplified. "What you hear will no doubt get you in the mood to answer the Governor's questions later on."

"When the screams turn to whimpers, it's _your _turn." And with that, the sickening duo left me. The sound of the door closing resounded with a defiant clank and I began to panic again.

The men's warnings sent off alarm bells and I feared for Michonne. _What was the Governor going to do to her? _I tried to get free again but my wrists rubbed painfully against the tight bounds and I hissed with desperate frustration. When I paused in my efforts, I heard the sound of conversation next door.

"-a real shame." The Governor was saying, his voice echoing through the thin walls. I swallowed down the lump in my throat, though could feel the dread building within me. _I didn__'__t want to hear what was going to happen. _"You're strong, but everyone has a breaking point." A pause. "Lets try and find yours." Movement, furniture moving perhaps? "C'mon, don't be shy. That's a good girl. How about I give you something to keep your mind occupied?"

Bile rose in my throat and I felt suddenly faint listening to the commentary. What made it worse was the lack of Michonne's response. Even from the next room, the muffled sounds of deep, consistent, grunts could be heard between the Governor's words and I bit back the tears when I heard the sounds of Michonne's painful cries in response.

I thumped my head against the desk in front of me, ignoring the pain I received from the impact. _No pain could be compared to the one I had to endure listening to Michonne__'__s ordeal. _

"Yeah, I like it when you fight it." The Governor continued and I resounded a sob. _Oh God, please no. _Harsh, horrific memories of the time back with the Governor's came back to me and I couldn't recall a more painful moment than this right now. I hit my head again, willing to drown the sounds out, all the time urging myself to wake up from this horrific nightmare. "'Cause then I get to fight _back!__"_

_Stop please to God, Stop!_

A scream bit the back of my throat and I tried to will myself to think of something else, _anything other than what was happening next door. _

I thought of Sophia, her happy lovely face smiling back at me. Images of her and Carl playing animatedly with Toby lightened me a little, though all too quickly the scenario flipped and I imagined the Governor's group ploughing through the fences, taking the prison for their own and Sophia and Carl would be slaughtered in the massacre. _All because of me. _

"Yeah, oh God!"

I thought of Daryl and regretted parting on such bad terms with the man. I should have _tried _to fix things between us; at least _tried. _And now I was lost, severed from the group and hope was fading off the horizon. And the last image of Daryl that I would have was his disappointed, hurt expression looking back at me. The rejection burnt still and I imagined him too falling upon the ambush on the prison. _All because of me. _

"Don't pass out on me, girl!"

I thought of Jessica and wondered how someone related through blood, _my own sister, _could betray me like she had. One would think kinship would mean something, would rise above the rest, but Jessica had defied all of this and had sided against me. _She had turned me in, sent me to my death. _What had I ever done to hurt her and to tempt such a bitter revenge against me? I imagined her treacherous plans and wished so many wrongs against her, a thought that terrified me. _She was my sister. _But a sister who had turned her back on me.

"That's right - it's good isn't it?"

The salty tears bit the back of my throat and I couldn't occupy my mind much longer. My fists clenched and I tried, weakly, to tug them away from the chair. _No luck again, surprise? _Sounds next door began to dull out and the groans gradually stopped. There was a long moment of eerie silence which increased my inner pain and fear.

"Alright, I admit that I got a little carried away - but I enjoyed every minute of it!" The Governor's almost joyous voice called through the wall. "What about you?" No response. "I didn't think so. Now, are you ready to talk?" Still no response. "We'll try again later then, huh? Get some rest, as much as you can at least. You'll need your energy for when I return."

I would have screamed if I didn't want to prove a point to these people. _I wouldn__'__t be scared easily. _Though, of course these were surely lies? My entire being just shook with fear and internal pain after what I had just heard. Things hadn't even started to begin and I was already willing it all to end. I thought of Michonne and hitched a sob at my friend's ordeal. The Governor's actions made me question humanity in it's entirety and I remembered truly how much I _loathed _the man.

The sound of a door opening and closing caught my attention and I expected the disgusting being to enter my room next. Though no one came and I stared at the door expectantly for a long time before realising that no one was going to come.

_Yet._

* * *

_Two rounds. One for Toby, one for myself. _

Two rounds and the hell would be over. Two rounds to the head and no longer would we have to remain as beings merely existing anymore.

I could end this so very easily for my companion and myself. I would be rid of all the horrific memories and diabolic nightmares that followed me everywhere I went. I had tried endlessly to think of reasons to continue living, but my list was gradually getting smaller until I would just be an empty shell that wandered this vast wasteland of an planet.

Gone would the pain, gone would the isolation. _Gone would life. _

Staring down the barrell of the gun, I considered how truly inviting the idea of death seemed, how easily I could pull the trigger now and end it all.

A resounding scream cut through my thoughts though, one that alerted my numbing senses. It was a noise that I hadn't heard in so long and my body worked in overdrive. Suddenly I was sprinting towards the scream, my intentions and motives undecided at the moment.

That's when she passed by me. Right before my very eyes, a young girl no more than twelve years of age ran startled through the trees. She didn't seem to notice me, but I watched with a stunned countenance as she passed me unknowingly. Behind her trailed two of the dead, eager for the innocent, easy kill and hounding at her every move.

I hesitated no more, knowing what I had to do. Without a second thought, I had taken my bat to the hungry creatures, giving them heavy swings to the head and working ruthlessly to beat their existence from them.

Once I had finished, I eyed the girl before me - she was the first of the living that wasn't an imitating threat and the realisation stunned me for a moment. In that one observation, I took in the girl in her terrified being. I judged her timid nature, the way her hands rung on the rag doll in her hands, the way she stared up at me with those huge doe eyes that held nothing but fear.

_I didn__'__t consider for one moment that this girl would give me something worth living for, something in answer to my suicidal bid. _

Physically I may have saved Sophia's life, but she had saved mine in it's entirety a _thousand times over._

* * *

The throb of my head had subsided a little, though I still ached. _And I haven__'__t even been given my punishment yet. _The ordeal of listening to Michonne's was enough to exhaust me anyway, just worrying about my friend had sent me into a frenzy.

When the door to the room I was being held in finally opened, I couldn't deny the feelings of dread when the Governor sauntered in, closing the door with a resounding _bang _behind him. The sight of him made me sick. Nothing was said, we merely regarded each other with equal loathing. For a moment the Governor remained standing and I physically flinched when he stepped closer to take a seat on the chair across the table from me. He noticed my unease and smirked a little.

"May I?" The Governor asked , gesturing to the unoccupied chair. I said nothing and the Governor took that as acceptance, taking a seat. "So, did you enjoy the show?" He asked, dryly. I glared at him through hate filled eyes.

"Go to hell." I hissed back, causing him to chuckle.

"Now, now." He muttered, clasping his hands together before him and leaning forward on his arms. "You're the lucky one, Ruby. Thanks to your sister's wishes, you've been spared from the same punishment as Michonne." I narrowed my eyes, confused as to why my sister would want me to be spared from any sort of pain. It was because of Jessica that we were here, surely there was no goodness left in her? "She wants me to go _easy _on you." The Governor shrugged. "Sibling loyalty, huh?"

"My sister isn't exactly a prime example of _sibling loyalty.__" _I replied in return and the Governor laughed good-heartedly.

"Perhaps not, but she has other _talents _that are in her favour." He sneered and I grimaced.

"And what are you going to do to me then?" I asked, eyeing him with distaste.

"Well, first we're going to _talk._" He told me. "I'm sure you're feeling a little cooperative after overhearing Michonne and my little 'chat'."

"Quite the opposite." I countered. "You can go fuck yourself if you think I'm telling you anything." The Governor laughed.

"Cute." He observed with a nod. "You have so much potential, Ruby. I didn't realise how strong you were the first time round, and it cost me. I lost _a lot _that night you and Michonne decided to scarper."

"Cry me a river."

"But I'm here to offer some amends." The Governor continued, ignoring my comment. "I'll offer you a place in Woodbury, to live without fear amongst other survivors." He paused. "All you have to do is tell me where the rest of your group is."

"Why?" I seethed through gritted teeth. "You have Michonne and I, why do you need to know about our group?" The Governor studied me in thoughtful silence and I scoffed. "You afraid they'll come and take you on? You afraid they'll destroy everything you have? You afraid they'll _kill you?__" _He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're saying they'll come looking for you when they realise you're missing?" I shrugged nonchalantly, not replying to his question definitely. The Governor exhaled and leant back in his chair, observing me with a frown. "You were travelling light when we pulled you in, that suggests you're holding up somewhere secure. You were also found in the red zone-"

"Red zone?"

"Somewhere we tend to avoid; too overrun with lurkers and biters." He explained before continuing. "And that suggests that you're perhaps close by." I raised an eyebrow and said nothing. "Or that there was a reason you've wandered this far." I shrugged.

"Michonne and I like the danger." I muttered, mockingly. The Governor didn't seem impressed.

"Cooperating will make all of this move faster." He told me. "I want answers, Ruby. I'm starting to get real impatient."

"You don't seem to have much patience then, I mean, it's a wonder how you've tolerated my sister for so long. She's not the easiest going girls to handle and you seem a little strung up yourself." The Governor said nothing at my sarcy comment though eyed me dangerously. Fear rose within me again though I masked it quickly.

Suddenly he shoved his chair away with a scrap and stood up. I looked up at his raised stature with terrified eyes. He stared back with a menacing expression. Slowly, he walked around the table and I tensed when he disappeared from view as he passed behind me. I held my breath, waiting with fear for what he would do. I couldn't suppress a yelp as the Governor yanked back hard on my chair, pulling me away from the table. He appeared again, standing before me and grabbing my chin roughly; urging me to look up at him.

"You're going to tell me where your people." He told me, slowly. "Make it easier for yourself, Ruby." I swallowed hard, trying to hold his gaze defiantly. When I said nothing, the dread built within me as I waited for his reaction.

He was so quick. The Governor had held my gaze for a moment before my head had struck to the side with the force of his fist connecting with the left of my face. I grunted in pain, feeling my jaw snap at his brute force. He didn't wait for me to regain myself before grabbing my chin roughly again and landing another punch to my jaw. I bit my tongue this time and I began to taste iron in my mouth.

"Where are they?" The Governor demanded again. I shook my head.

"Go to hell." I repeated through my damaged jaw.

He tugged me back by my hair and I hissed with pain as I felt him rip some clumps free. After a few more fists to the face, I was struggling to see, my visibility was wavering. Coughing, I felt blood build within my mouth some more and I was struggling to breath a little.

When the Governor had paused, I tried to build some strength; to hold some courage against this monster. But suddenly the air was winded from me as I took a blow to the chest. I cried out, wincing and doubling over, only to be tugged straight again by my hair. The Governor eyed me menacingly.

"You had enough yet?" He asked, evenly. I said nothing and could do _nothing_ to prepare myself for another wave of my punishment. The pain intensifying this time around.

With each blow now, I struggled to return back, struggled to keep my eyes open, to keep my bearings. My vision was fading now and I knew I was fighting a losing battle to stay awake. The Governor's questions were an echoing blur now and slowly but surely I felt myself leave the world of consciousness for a second time.

…

The pain throbbed, a numbing sensation.

When I awoke the second time I was greeted with the sight of an empty room before me. Whether this was comforting, I did not know, but I was glad enough not to be staring at the Governor's menacing face again.

The punishment I had received had left me broken and bloody; I could still taste iron that lingered in my mouth and I winced a chuckle. _He went easy on me, huh? _My vision was still damaged as I stared at the room with tired eyes. My entire head hurt, as did my chest and I wheezed a cough, rupturing pain through my torso. The bare light only burned my eyes and I flinched away from the blaring bulb, trying to ease myself into the world again, though the pain was so intense.

I thought of Michonne, how she was faring and hated myself even more so than before after reliving the memories of what she had had to go through. Her ordeal was so much worse than me own and yet here I was, wincing in pain and revelling in weakness. _Give me strength, if only for Michonne. _

My entire body burned with hatred for the man that had caused both our pain and I hadn't considered another moment in my life when I had wished so much wrong on another. His being made me sick and I didn't shy away from imagining his death in the most gruesome and horrific of ways.

The slow sound of footsteps outside was registered and I tensed without meaning to. I set my struggling gaze on the door, awaiting a visitor and hating the feeling of fear building up in me. _I wanted to remain strong, but was finding it hard to. _

_Chatter outside my door. _I was thankful Michonne had been saved from the next wave of punishment, but dreaded what was going to happen to me right now. I swallowed hard and tried to hold a strong expression. I wouldn't let them see my fear.

The door handle turned though the door didn't open immediately. _There was a hesitation. _Though slowly the door swung open and revealed a figure hidden by darkness. I took in their demeanour and realised instantly that they weren't the Governor, but willed them to step into the dull light of the bulb to reveal themselves. Though the figure paused in the doorway for a long moment of time, merely staring at my broken form from the shadows.

"Well c'mon then!" I cried at them. "Show yourself, you coward!"

I wasn't graced with a verbal response, though the figure took a step into the room, enough to close the door behind them and shut out the rest of the vermin but enough to remain hidden in the darkness.

After a long hesitation, the figure finally stepped into the light and I visibly started at the sight of them and their identity. A new emotion washed over me and I was completely immobile for a moment, stunned completely for words. Nothing could have prepared me for the person stood before me and judging by their expression they hadn't expected to find _me _here either.

A new pain struck me, one internal and long overdue. But despite everything, despite the physical pain that numbed me, despite my situation and despite Michonne's, I couldn't help but smile at the man before me with resounding happiness. _Happiness to see him again. _

"Merle!"

* * *

_(Author's Note): I'm sorry for the hassle from this chapter, I've been trying to put it up for a while now but have been experiencing some technical problems... I think other authors have too. So, very sorry for the trouble! _

_A short chapter, I'm afraid, but hopefully it contained enough excitement to content you all! This chapter was very hard to write, torture really isn't my 'thing', so hopefully it came out alright?_

_Regarding Michonne's rape - yes, it's brutal and I'm very sorry about that. The dialogue is taken pretty much straight form the comics if anyone cared to know too. I'm hesitant to how it all came out so please tell me what you guys think! It'll mean a lot. _

_And how are people feeling about the appearance of a certain someone? How do you all think Merle will react to Michonne and Ruby being there? Will it be a happy reunion for the friends? Or will tension brew? ;) Let me know what you guys predict will happen! _

_Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter, I really appreciate them! Please tell me what you think of this chapter and I'll have an update as soon as. To my American readers; enjoy the season 3 restart on Sunday! As a UK fan, I'm jealous of you all as I have to wait till Friday for it to return for me. I will ask though that no spoilers in reviews! I'd really appreciate that, thank you! :) _


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven

_Chapter Thirty Seven_

Merle was thinner than before, _surprisingly so. _His cheek bones were more prominent and the shirt and vest get-up he wore, hung off his slimmer frame. What caught my attention immediately was the terrifying looking contraption on the end of his handless arm. It was a metal device, complete with a sharp and intimidating looking knife at the end of it. It strapped in place on his arm and looked as though it had been there a while, _I wondered preciously how long so. _

His expression hadn't altered since he arrived into the light, it was a confused scrutiny that unnerved me the longer the silence drew out. His eyes devoured my face and I wondered the state I looked; probably unpleasant. My once happy feeling had faded and I felt uncomfortable by Merle's stare.

A range of thoughts wandered through my mind in those moments of silence. _Why was he here? Why was he with the Governor? Was he a prisoner too? _Taking in his appearance and armed persona, he didn't seem to look like a prisoner. This most definitely unnerved me and I tensed considerably, eyeing the man with dread. The man who I had longed to see again after our time apart.

_This most certainly wasn__'__t the reunion I was expecting or hoped for. _

"Merle?" I tried hesitantly, through broken lips. The oldest Dixon didn't respond though took another step forward. He broke the locked gaze to glance briefly down at the chair the Governor once sat in. With a pause, Merle took a seat in the chair opposite me, resting the metal contraption on the table and leaning back in a slouch. He then turned back to me with a look of disbelief.

"Ain't ya suppose to be dead?" His southern voice twanged; his _voice, _not a figment of my _imagination_ anymore. I winced a slight chuckle, though wheezed through the pain.

"Seems not." I muttered, trying to smile. "Long story short, I got myself out of the shit." Merle scoffed and grinned.

"Fuckin' Jesus!" Merle shook his head with disbelief. "Didn't think I'd ever see ya pretty face again, darlin'!" He ran his only hand over his balding head, staring at me with an unfathomable expression. "Went back to look for ya body, thought ya must have turned when I couldn't find ya."

"Wait, you went looking for me?" I asked. Merle nodded slowly.

"When Micky 'nd I got separated, figured I'd go back 'nd see if I could find ya body. Just so I _knew.__" _He shrugged and I felt over-whelmed by his confession. _He had gone back for me. _"Guess I must have known ya were still alive, though I lost hope that I'd find ya again." The happiness in seeing my friend suddenly faded when I remembered our situation and _who _we were with. More importantly who _Merle _was with. "Where the hell ya been hidin' at, girl?" I tensed, eyeing my old friend with sickening unease.

"You're with the Governor." I breathed, shaking my head once. Merle's grin slowly faded from his face. "I can't believe you, after everything he did to us." Merle shook his head defiantly, leaning forward. "What the hell happened to you?"

"He saved me." Merle said, exhaling deeply. "I was dyin'; pretty fucked up. He picked me up off the side of the road, literally. I was near enough dead but I recognised his ugly face instantly. Expected him to string me up again, chop me up for dinner 'nd all that." He scoffed and shrugged. "But he didn't. Told me he remembered me, but decided to spare me. Needed more men apparently. He brought me 'ere, made me one of his guards. That was months ago now, I reckon." He paused, judging my expression thoughtfully. There was a long pause and I couldn't suppress the scoff of disbelief at what I had just heard.

"You his poker buddy at the weekend too?" I muttered with distaste. Merle narrowed his eyes at my comment.

"Don't be like that, girl-"

"No, I will be like that, Merle!" I hissed, leaning forward though wheezing at the strain on my chest. Merle started a bit, looking mildly concerned at my discomfort. Only _mildly. _"That asshole that you're following is a monster! I would have thought _you _of all people would know that!"

"Things are different now, Ruby."

"They're exactly the same." I countered, furious with my once friend. "Look what he did to me!" Merle eyed my face warily, taking in the bruises and blood. "Is this the work of a changed man?" Merle didn't reply though glared at me with heavy frustration. "And why don't you take a trip next door? See what state he left Michonne in too!" Merle looked confused and I scoffed. "I didn't think _rape _was the work of a changed man either." Merle's frustration heightened and he leant away from me. "What the fuck happened to you, Merle?"

"Ain't nothin' happened to me. Don't ya dare sit there 'nd judge me like ya know what I've been through." Merle hissed, dangerously. I wasn't as intimidated by Merle's tone as much as he must have intended.

"Then please, tell me what you've been through. Tell me how hard it's been for you, Merle. Enlighten me, if you will?" I countered with sickly sweet ignorance. "I see you've got yourself a new toy, was that a gift from your boyfriend too?"

"Fuck you!" Merle shouted, suddenly leaping forward and grabbing my blood-stained shirt with his only hand, tugging me forward harshly. I winced at the pain though Merle disregarded my discomfort. "Ya don't get to come back here 'nd act like ya know what's happened! Ya don't get to come back after so long 'nd do that! Ya don't know shit!"

"Well, that's just it, Merle." I muttered, trying to not shy away from his closer, furious expression. "I _do _know _shit. _I know that the old Merle wouldn't be so willing to roll over backwards for a man like that, the _old _Merle wouldn't stand for this bullshit. He's playing with your mind." I shook my head and scoffed. "And you're letting him." With a frustrated hiss, Merle shoved me back and I couldn't help the slight yelp of fear escape from my lips.

Merle shoved away from the table, eyeing me with a look of distaste. There so much malice behind his gaze, one that confused me. _What had happened to Merle? _We were friends at a past point in time. _What had changed? _

"Why did you come?" I muttered, shaking my head. Merle raised an eyebrow. "You're _his _man now, why bother coming to see _me?__" _Merle shrugged before smirking a little.

"Beats me." He replied, nonchalantly. I scoffed.

"We were _friends _once, Merle." I tried. "Does that not mean something to you?" He didn't respond for a long time. "You came _back_ for me! You obviously care."

"Maybe once." Merle muttered, shaking his head. "But the world moves on, don't ya think it's time ya should too, sugar?"

"No." I shook my head. "No I don't think I should. I'm going to hold onto the good in you, Merle." I told the man, firmly. Merle's eyes widened with disbelief at my comment and I chewed my lip for a moment. "_Help us.__"_

"What?"

"You heard." I waited for a response but didn't get one. "_Please, _Merle. Get us out of this. We can leave Woodbury together, start again-"

"'Nd why would I want that?" Merle asked, a slight devilish smirk on his features. "I have things pretty sweet here; great set up." He placed his hand on the table and leant forward, sneering as I leant away. "Why would I want to do a stupid thing 'nd ruin all that?"

"Because Michonne and I would for _you_." I breathed, taking Merle by surprise. His expression tensed for a moment before he backed away from the table and a smirk appeared on his face again.

"The catch up has been nice, girly, but I'm afraid I have to run." Merle announced, an air of feign confidence in his tone. "Got things to do." He turned his back on me, sauntering over to the door. With each step I felt Michonne and my last hope leave with him and knew I needed to _try _some else. "Maybe I'll see you around-"

"I've met your brother!" I called, halting Merle dead as he opened the door slightly. I watched his back tense and there was a moment of awkward silence as neither of us did anything.

The resounding sound of Merle slamming the door shut made me flinch, as did the equally harsh expression on the man's face as he rounded on me. He took slow, careful steps towards me and I swallowed hard, trying not to remain inferior under my once-friend's gaze.

"What did ya just say?" Merle asked, dangerously. I didn't speak for a moment, unsure on how to even approach a coherent reply. Merle seemed frustrated by my lack of response and was in my face in an instant. "Answer me!"

"Daryl- your brother- I've met him." I stuttered. Merle's eyes devoured mine.

"Ya better start explain' yourself real soon, sweetheart." Merle warned. I swallowed hard, shaking my head once.

"I can't tell you." I breathed and Merle hissed with frustration. "You'll tell _him.__"_At this Merle's expression changed from angry to confused. "I can't let him know, Merle. I'm _protecting _them."

"Them?" Merle muttered before it suddenly dawned on him. "Ya with Officer Friendly too, huh?" He narrowed his eyes. "Ya know that was the asshole that handcuffed me to that roof, right? 'Nd that nigga T-Dog was the one who dropped the key?" I nodded once and Merle still scoffed. "'Nd ya still with 'em?"

"And _you _know what the Governor has done to Michonne and I, you're still with him-"

"Don't change the subject!" Merle screeched, slamming the blade on the end of his arm into the table. The wood splintered and I bit back a flinch. "Now, ya gonna tell me 'bout my brother 'nd ya gonna tell me _now_." I studied his reaction, his demeanour and his attitude. Nothing about the man was stable and I knew better than to blurt out the group's whereabouts to him when he was in this state. _If I had the same attitude with Jessica then maybe we wouldn__'__t be in this mess. _I kicked myself mentally.

"No." I shook my head. "No, I will _not _tell you." Tears rose to my eyes as I waited in fear for Merle's response.

In a moment a flash of desperation struck Merle's gaze and a moment later his hands took my throat, squeezing the breath from me. I took in Merle's gaze, the immense hatred in his eyes and felt unbelievably terrified. I struggled to breath, I tried to talk; to try make Merle see sense, but I couldn't force the words out. _This wasn__'__t the Merle I remembered. _

"Merle, please-" I struggled out. Merle's eyes didn't comprehend my words apparently and he only squeezed harder. "Merle, you're-" _Oh God. _"You're killing me."

As quickly as the anger had struck, the desperate and feared look slowly faded in Merle's eyes. His grip on my throat eased off and Merle stared back at me with a look of confusion. When he dropped his hands away for my throat, I coughed and wheezed unsteady breaths. Merle observed my struggles for a moment before backing away slowly. The air between us was tense now, and _different. _I didn't know what to think anymore. A part of me willed for the man before me to be the _Merle _I once knew, but his angered bid to kill me told me otherwise.

"If ya won't tell me anythin', at least tell me this," Merle began slowly. I glanced up, fearfully, at man. "At least tell me if my brother's alive." I was taken back in slight shock at his requested knowledge and my heart softened towards my once-friend. _But that was all he was now; a _once-_friend. _Nothing more.

"Yes." I nodded, when I finally regained my breath back. "Yes, he's alive." If I hadn't believed Merle to be so heartless then I wouldn't have been surprised by the sigh of relief from the man before me.

Merle nodded once, his expression thoughtful. He said nothing more and instead turned away from me again and walked back toward the door. This time I felt no more urges to say something else to the man; in fear a repeat of before would happen. He may have been my friend once but in one moment Merle had made me fearful of him. I swallowed hard and watched tensely as he paused at the door.

"If ya answer his questions then he won't hurt ya no more." Merle said, remaining with his back to me.

"I can't." I breathed. "If I tell him then he'll kill them. He'll kill _Daryl, _Merle."

"Ya don't know that." Merle countered.

"Why else does he want to know then?" I asked, exhaustion kicking in. "It's not for good intentions and _you_ know it." I took in his tense back and half-heartedly tried again. "Help us, Merle. Help us, _please.__" _I expected a scoff or another angry remark, though instead my pleads were met with a tired sigh.

"I'll be back later." And he was gone, shutting the door firmly behind him. There was brief hesitation before his footsteps echoed away from my door and I knew he was truly _gone. _

Tears lingered in my eyes and I bit my lip to stop them from rising. I was fighting a losing battle though and my sobs soon echoed in the silent room. And I didn't stop until I heard footsteps return and enter Michonne's room. _The Governor had returned for some more. _And after round two of Michonne's ordeal, I cried again, willing this nightmare to just _end. _

The Governor returned to my room shortly after dealing with Michonne. He questioned me again, hoping that I was feeling more up for complying with his interrogation. But I ignored most of his questions and was met with the same return as before. The Governor left me exhausted and beaten, sneering that he would be back later. _Fuck him, _I thought as the footsteps echoed away.

I imagined Michonne next door, a broken shell to what she once was. I longed to see her, to show her that I was still here for her. I wanted to take her pain away, to take it for my own. In those bitter moments, I concluded that I would rather take Michonne's torture for my own - trade places with her. _It was too late now though. _The damage had been done and I mourned for my friend's pain and being.

I thought of the group; _would they be looking for us? _After all the questions, I had concluded that the Governor didn't know the whereabouts of them and that filled me with some comfort. I wondered if they'd noticed we were missing yet. Surely they must have done, though I did not know how long Michonne and I had been taken captive by these people. _Time had blurred now. _

I didn't recall falling asleep but found myself opening my eyes in daze and raising my head, my whole body stiff from my positioning. The first thing I noticed when I re-entered consciousness was that I wasn't alone and after a few moments of blinking I recognised the figure before me.

Laurent hadn't bothered taking a seat, but remained standing, staring down at me. I refrained the urge to scoff at his attempt of intimidation, too exhausted to even waste my time. The man raised an eyebrow at me.

"Aren't you going to sit?" I muttered. After a moment of hesitation, the man complied and sat down, dragging the chair with a scrap. I flinched at the noise but tried to hold my own against the man before me - the man who was perhaps my guardian at one stage in my life.

"How are you feeling?" The man asked, carefully, and I couldn't refrain the urge now. I winced a scoff, eyeing the man with disbelief.

"How do _you _think I'm feeling?" I countered with an attempt of a glare. I saw Laurent fidget a little under my heavy stare. "You been sent to question me too? Save your breath, I'm not telling you anything." Laurent sighed deeply.

"You're not in a great position, Ruby." Laurent began slowly. "I don't think you really understand what you've gotten yourself into. You're not exactly in a position to be having an attitude like that."

"So the Governor got to you too?" I mused thoughtfully, Laurent raised an eyebrow. "I once thought you were a strong, decent man, though I guess I was wrong about that. You're _his _lapdog now." Laurent's eyes narrowed.

"I do what I can to survive." Laurent replied and I snorted. "We can't all be as insistent as you to get ourselves near on killed."

"What can I say, I enjoy the spark of danger." I retorted, sarcastically. Unlike Merle, I had long given up hope for Laurent. Ever since we had arrived with the Governor and his group the man who had acted as our guardian had changed. It was a long alteration but the same fact was still evident; _Laurent was the Governor__'__s man now, nothing else. _Laurent sighed and took a different approach.

"You answer his questions and he'll stop hurting you." _I__'__d heard that before. _

"You know what?" I muttered. "You can go to hell, you bastard. You can _all _go to hell!" The bitter remark was left to sink for a hesitant moment before suddenly Laurent was on his feet and had landed a punch to my jaw. _Was I just a human punch bag to these people? _

I was surprised by Laurent's sudden burst of anger and stared up at the man with shocked eyes. I was too exhausted to spit anymore insults at the man and merely regarded him with distaste.

"You continue like this, Ruby, and you'll only get yourself killed." Laurent said slowly and I almost rejoiced at the threat.

I almost begged for death, begged for Laurent to strangle the life from me, to take the gun strapped to his belt and put a bullet in my head. But one thought crossed my mind then at my suicidal bid and that was the state of my friend next door. _Michonne needed me. _She needed me to remain strong, for the both of us. If I caved in then there would be no hope for either of us. Though my own life wasn't important to me anymore, Michonne's was. _I would stay alive for Michonne__'__s sake. _

I remained silent, not giving Laurent the pleasure of a response. He asked me more questions, tried to heed me to give in, but I gave him nothing. I avoided eye contact and stared blankly at the wall behind. I could sense frustration in his tone but revelled in it. _Fuck him, fuck them all. _Finally Laurent gave in, leaving me with my thoughts again and slamming the door shut as he left. I eyed the closed door evenly and almost laughed. Why I didn't know, but I just felt the sudden urge to laugh at my predicament.

When I heard the Governor return again to Michonne, I tried to occupy my mind; drown out the noise. I thought of Sophia, of Daryl. I thought of Lori and wondered how she was doing. Perhaps she had gone into labour in my absence? Maybe miles away a new life had been brought into the world, perhaps a wailing infant filled the silence of the cell block? And I had missed the birth, even after being so determind to be there for my friend. And what had become of Lori _if_ she had given birth? Will Herschel have succeeded in bringing both mother and child into the world healthy and well? _Would Lori be alive? Or had tragedy struck for the Grimes family? _I couldn't bear to think of _that_ possibility.

Footsteps approached the room I was in and I tensed when the door opened slowly. Glancing up, I expected to see the Governor stood there and was surprised when instead Merle stood in the doorway, carrying a tray of something in his free hand.

He walked into the room, placing the tray on the table before me, which had on it a range of food and a bottle of water. When Merle turned his back on me, I expected him to leave just like that and was surprised when he instead went back to close the door. He returned to the table and eyed me carefully.

"I'm gonna undo ya bonds," He muttered, gesturing to the food. "So ya can eat. But ya better not try anythin' with me, girl." I glanced at the food, realising how hungry I actually was, starvation kicking in now. My throat went dry with the lack of substance and I nodded dully, silently promising not to try anything. With the lack of food and water, and the ordeal I had had to endure, I was too weak to do anything anyway.

Merle moved behind me and shoved my body forward - gentler than I expected - so he could get to my bonds. He cut the rope away with his knifed contraption and when the rope fell from my hands I sighed with relief at the lack of rope burning my skin. I looked down at my wrists, inspecting the damage and was taken back at the red raw skin. Dried blood had stained my hands and wrists and I hadn't realised that I had made them bleed.

During my inspection, Merle had taken a seat opposite me again. I glanced up at him then down at the food. I was hesitant to start eating, despite how hungry I was.

"Ain't poisoned if that's what ya worried 'bout." Merle muttered. I met his gaze again and he gestured vaguely at the tray. Hesitantly I began to pick at the food, noting that I hadn't been provided with any cutlery of some description. _Smart move on their behalf? _

"I'm curious to know how you're gonna tie me back up again." I observed, taking a large gulp of water, relishing the cool liquid in my bitterly dry mouth. Merle raised an eyebrow. "Surely that's a difficult job for someone with only one hand?" It was a sarcy, bitter comment but Merle sniggered even so.

"Another goon will 'ave to come do it." He told me, evenly. I nodded, chewing thoughtfully for a moment.

"Why did they send you in then?" I asked. "Why not send one of the others in the first place, less hassle?" Merle smirked.

"Apparently I'm more intimidating than most goons." He replied, raising his blade for emphasis. I scoffed weakly.

"Do they know?" I asked and Merle raised an eyebrow. "Do they know you were with Michonne and I?" Merle's face hardened then and I already knew the answer then before he provided a verbal response.

"No." He muttered through narrowed eyes. "No they don't. 'Nd it wouldn't be wise for ya to go tellin' either." I smiled a little at the implied threat.

"I'm not going to tell them." I told him with a shrug. "I was just curious."

The silence drew on and for a while I was content with just eating and the lack of conversation. I knew that Merle was watching me like a hawk, but avoided eye contact. I wasn't sure where I stood with the man, his loyalties seemed firmly set on the Governor's side but there was something about him that perhaps said otherwise. _I would hold onto that part of him. _

When I had finished eating, Merle wasted no time in pulling the tray away from me and eyeing me with narrowed eyes.

"Where's my brother?" He asked, hitting the mark in one. _Never missing a beat. _I swallowed hard, not wanting to piss him off again but totally unwilling to answer his question.

"Has Michonne been fed?" I asked, weakly. Merle glared at me.

"Yeah she has, but don't change the subject." He warned. "I asked ya a question."

"And you know exactly what I'm going to reply with." I pointed out, shaking my head a little. "I will _not _give them up." Merle sneered.

"Ya gotten pretty cosy with 'em, huh?" He muttered. I didn't respond and the man leant forward, resting his arm contraption on the table top. I unintentionally leant away. "Ya can't just tell me my brother's alive but hold off on where he is."

"I'm doing this for the safety of _your brother, _Merle. Don't you see that?" I tried, Merle narrowed his eyes. I attempted another approach. "Help Michonne and I, get us out of this."

"See, I reckon Office Friendly is gonna be lookin' for ya." Merle began, slowly. "'Nd I 'ave a feelin' he'll come across this place sooner or later."

"We could be dead by then." I countered and Merle smirked, shaking my head.

"Ya don't need my help."

"If you help us then you've got a better chance in seeing your brother again." I pointed out, Merle's smirk faded a little.

"Why? Would ya take me to him?" He asked.

"Not until you proved your loyalty." Merle laughed good-heartedly. "But helping us is a step in the right direction." There was pause before Merle sighed in mild frustration.

"That ain't a subject of negotiation, girl." He told me, firmly. "Now, I wanna know 'bout my brother."

"And that also isn't a subject of negotiation; I've told you, I'm not telling you where he is." Merle exhaled deeply before leaning back, eyeing me curiously.

"How is he?" Merle asked suddenly, off-handily. I was taken back by the question and approached the answer carefully.

"He's fine." I breathed. Merle nodded once.

"He missin' his big brother?" I thought longer about this one, remembering Daryl's final frustration bid to give up hope on finding his brother. Though I decided to leave that piece of information aside for the moment.

"Yes." Merle smiled a thin, devilish smile.

"Then how come he ain't come lookin' for little ol' me?" He asked. "Huh?" I chewed my lip before replying to that one.

"Because you went missing over a year ago. Where would he start looking?" I countered. "He went back for you, in Atlanta, apparently. But you were gone by the time they got there. I know he would have carried on looking for you if he could have but things have been-" A pause. "Complicated." Merle sneered and I felt the urge to continue talking. "Daryl's a good man, Merle. He hasn't given up on you, even after so long." I thought of the man in question and smiled fondly. "He's really stepped up, playing an extremely valuable role in the group now. He cares about everyone; looks after us all. You should be proud of your brother, Merle, because the group owes him a lot. He's done so much for us." I studied Merle's expression, taking in the calculating frown on his face and wondering if I should have shut up sooner. _Too late now, eh?_

"Ya speak mighty well 'bout my brother." Merle observed, quietly. "Ya his bitch or sumthin'?" I grimaced and glared at the man.

"Fuck you, Dixon." I hissed. Merle sniggered.

"I'll take that as a no, huh?" Merle nodded thoughtfully, tilting his head. "My brother the saint? Didn't think I'd see the day." Merle mused for a moment. "Just a matter of time though before Officer Friendly throws him aside like the no good white trash that he is." I shook my head.

"You're wrong. Rick wouldn't do that. And Daryl _isn't _white trash." Merle laughed in disbelief.

"_Rick?__" _He cried, tauntingly. "I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't mean to offend ya friend 'nd don't think I didn't notice ya defendin' baby brother either." I glared at the man. "Now tell me exactly _why_ Rick ain't gonna throw my brother aside? _Enlighten me_, will ya?"

"You don't _know_ these people, you don't know what we've all been through _together_. There isn't a chance in hell that we'd disregard a single member of the group, _especially_ Daryl." I said, defiantly. "You shouldn't make assumptions about things you don't have the first clue about."

"Kitty got claws to go with it's mouth." Merle murmured with a grin. "Daryl is a _Dixon. _We Dixons have been treated like no good rednecks our entire lives by cops and broads alike. The fuck makes _Rick _any different than the rest, huh?"

"Rick is a good man-"

"A 'good' man who handcuffed me to a roof 'nd left me to die!"

"I heard you were being an asshole-"

"So that condemns me to death then, huh!?" Merle hollered, eyes furious. "Not even _animals _would 'ave been left like that." He paused, visibly seething. "And while we're on the sbject, don't even get me started on _T-Dog _either." I swallowed hard, trying to remain strong at the memory of our fallen friend. "Guess he'll be comin' to get ya too, huh? Be the knight in shining armour for ya?" I shook my head once.

"T-Dog is dead." I told him, resignedly. Merle was silent for a moment.

"Really? That's a shame." Merle mused before nodding once, eyeing me with malice. "Well, I hope it was _slow.__" _I glared at the man.

"You cold-hearted bastard." Merle laughed.

"Ya wound me, girl." He sneered. "Ya act like that's sumthin' new. What's the matter? Were ya expecting flowers 'nd cake for our reunion? Sorry to disappoint."

"I was expecting the Merle I once knew, not _this_." I gestured to the man before me and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "You've always been an asshole, Merle, but you're different now." I paused, taking in the frustration building behind his gaze. "You remember that conversation we had, long ago? It was during the first night at that house we were holding up in - the one which you left me in front of?" Merle raised an eyebrow and I continued. "You told me to look on the bright side of life; you were always the optimistic one of us all. And I asked you what you had to live for. You didn't answer me."

"Ya memory astounds me, darlin'." Merle muttered. I ignored him.

"I have an answer to that question. You know what I have to live for _now_?" I countered and Merle shrugged carelessly. "She's a twelve year old girl, goes by the name of Sophia. Remember her?" Merle shrugged again, his face thoughtful. "Her mother died months ago and I've been looking after her ever since. Her existence was what brought me to the group, to Rick and your brother. She's the one that saved me from the isolation, from the _abandonment_."I paused to sigh. "So, that's _my _answer to the question, Merle. What's _yours_?" Merle didn't respond. "When I found out about your brother, I guessed that _he _was what you lived for, your longing to find him again. But now I'm not so sure. Not now that you're under _new management_." Merle narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"I don't need to answer myself to _you.__"_ He sneered. I shrugged.

"That's fine." I replied, evenly. "As long as _you _know the answer to that question. As long as _you _can live with yourself then I suppose that's all that matters."

"Ya 'ave been spendin' far too much time with Micky." Merle grumbled and I smiled slightly. Another approach struck me.

"You know why Michonne and I are being punished?" I asked rhetorically. "One of the men told me; _an eye for an eye.__" _I shrugged. "You know what saying I could apply to you and I, Merle?" The man shook his head, his eyebrow raised. I smiled slightly. "_Return the favour. We_ saved your life, it's _your_ turn now."

Merle's response was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and the door swung open, revealing a nameless man I hadn't seen before. He stepped into the room with an air of cockiness that sent a feeling of unease through me. The way Merle tensed too didn't help and I shied away from the man's smirk as he studied me in a way that made me sick to the core.

"The fuck do ya want, Martinez?" Merle demanded, harshly, eyeing his fellow guard with distaste. Martinez sniggered.

"Governor is busy so he can't come and continue his interrogation." The man - Martinez - explained. Merle's shoulders tensed.

"Fine." He muttered. "_I__'__ll _do the interrogation then, go and make yourself useful else where." Martinez shook his head.

"Governor ordered that _I _was gonna be doing the interrogation." He countered, leaning toward the handless man. "So, _you _go and make yourself useful else where." Merle glared heavily at the man, but didn't make a move to leave, and Martinez shrugged. "Suit yourself, stay and watch."

Before I could react, Martinez had launched toward me and threw me back off my chair. I hit the floor with a resounding thud and hissed when my face cracked against the concrete floor. A heavy weight was on me in an instant as Martinez pinned me to the floor. His hand held my head down and I felt his face come closer, his breath burning my battered cheek.

"Where is your group?!" The man demanded, practically spitting on me.

I didn't answer and the weight on me was suddenly lifted. Though a sharp pain hit my abdomen as Martinez kicked me with a heavy boot. I tried to curl up into a foetal position but more kicks winded the air from me and I found no energy to react to the attacks.

During this newly dealt punishment, which had stepped up from kicking - Martinez was hurting me anyway he could now as I refused to respond to his questions, from my position on the floor I caught Merle's eye. He remained motionless, still seated on the chair. There was a mixture of confusion and regret in his gaze and in that one moment I thought I saw the old Merle again. _There was hope yet? _

Martinez stopped after a while, his heavy breaths the only noise in the room. He was panting with exhaustion and I tried to curl into myself, hide myself from anymore attacks. Everything hurt, everything ached. My torso shook with every breath and I found myself coughing up more blood and nearly throwing up the food I had just managed to eat.

"Guess that'll do for now." Martinez sighed. "Better get you tied back up." Without warning, the man hauled me up harshly and threw me onto the chair. He made quick work in tying me back to the chair again and I found no strength to fight him. When he'd done, he smirked at me and stroked my cheek with false affection before patting my head. I shied away from his touch. _It was a step away from Daryl's that was for sure. _"Till next time, princess!"

With that the man turned to leave, though paused to eye Merle curiously. The older Dixon still remained motionless and I could see some suspicion in Martinez's eye. Though Merle regained himself quickly when Martinez called his name, bringing his attention back to earth. The handless redneck rose to his feet and strode toward the door and out the room without another word. _Not even a backward glance. _

Martinez closed the door behind him and I was alone once more, left with my own thoughts which were more confusing than ever, and a new feeling of pain to battle.

…

Nothing had happened for a while. No one had returned to deal out either Michonne and my punishments and no footsteps approached either door. This was a mildly comforting sign, though with each passing second, the tension was building. I sensed some sort of climax intensifying and I tried to occupy my mind to take my thoughts from this new fear.

Even counting the bricks on the ceiling couldn't take my mind from the impending pain - _387 bricks to be precise though - _and I had taken up just staring at the opposite wall, waiting. _Just waiting. _Then suddenly-

_Gun shots. _

I yelped at the noise, it startling me completely from my trance. They sounded so odd, contrasting to the bitter silence or painful cries from Michonne and my rooms - pretty much our _cells, _much different to the ones I was used to in the prison. I wondered if perhaps the guards on the wall were just taking out walkers but then realised that surely they wouldn't risk the noise just to dispatch some wandering dead? Especially considering they were making such a _noise. _

_What was happening? _

Rushed footsteps approaching the corridor outside our rooms and I listened intently as someone began to inform the ones on guard outside our rooms on what was happening in the town.

"-Not us-" I heard through the muffled door. "-Causalities -Governor orders a responding defence -_terrorist attack_-" I frowned at this. _Terrorists? _What were they talking about?

The chatter died away as the men outside left the guard of Michonne and my rooms to take arms outside, I gathered. _Was someone attacking Woodbury? _

I waited anxiously, going through plans in my head to take advantage of the lack of guard outside. I wondered how I could escape from my bonds and thus leading to escaping from this room and freeing Michonne. We could take this distraction as our way out. _Though passing part one of the plan was proving difficult. _

My thoughts were interrupted though by the sound of someone coming. I tensed a little when I heard slow careful footsteps approach us and waited with baited breath as they paused, seemingly outside _my _door.

When the door swung open, I hesitated and waited for whomever it was to reveal themselves. Though I almost scoffed at the sight of Laurent.

"You taken a wrong turning?" I sneered. "Ain't you supposed to be helping up top? Help stop this _terrorist attack_?" Laurent didn't respond for a moment, eyeing me with so much scrutiny that I shied away. I felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"The Governor believes that the attack is the work of _your_ group." Laurent told me and hope suddenly rose within me. _They had come for us? Rick, Daryl and the others had come to save us? _"He's telling the others that it's a terrorist attack to hide the fact we're keeping you and Michonne hostage. No one but a selected few guards know that you're here. So, it's very easy to manipulate the minds of the people into believing that this attack is from the hands of ruthless bandits rather than those with intentions to take back what is theirs." His words discomforted me and I frowned at what he was telling me. "So, as there is a possibility that your group may find you, the Governor wishes to cover his tracks. Save his reputation, so to speak." I scoffed when I realised the implications behind his words.

"He's ordered for us to be killed, hasn't he?" I muttered before shrugging. "And who is the poor bastard that's gonna do it then?" Laurent didn't respond for a moment and the silence drew out.

Though Laurent suddenly reached into his jacket pocket and revealed a handgun - the realisation then dawned on me and my eyes widened with disbelief. I couldn't contain the shock when Laurent raised the gun to my head with equal clarity and carelessness.

"He truly does have you bent over his knee, doesn't he?" I shook my head in disbelief.

Though I had given up on all hope for Laurent, the fact that he seemed willing to put a bullet in my head seemed far too shocking for me to comprehend. Wasn't this the man that had saved me at the initial outbreak? Wasn't this the man that taught me how to shoot, to defend myself, and who gave me means to do so? Wasn't this the man that had almost acted like my guardian, even when I had left the Governor's clutches? Who had provided me with bare essentials to keep me going, to keep me _alive. What had happened to him? _

"I wish things could have been different." Laurent mused, thoughtfully. "I wish that things didn't have to end this way between us, Ruby. I've never wanted any harm to come of you _or _your sister." He swallowed hard and I watched him sigh with a shaky breath. "But you don't understand how _hard _it is, how much of a _struggle _it is to remain living in so much fear. Fear that one step out of line could end in death." Laurent shook his head and I caught the tears building in his eyes as he passed by a stream of the dull light. I hitched a sob of my own, biting my lip and wishing so many times over that _this _wasn't how I died. Not in some bitterly dark cell; alone, bloody and bruised.

"You didn't have to choose that path, Laurent." I reminded the man, quietly. "You could have escaped, just like I did." Laurent laughed bitterly and nodded.

"I know." He admitted. "I should have gotten out before I had gotten in too deep. Before it was _too late_." He shook his head and I suddenly felt sorry for the man before me. "Don't pity me, Ruby. I don't deserve that from you." Laurent tilted his head slightly before observing me with a slight smile. "Have I ever told you that you remind me of my daughter, Emily?" I was stunned at this and shook my head._ I didn't know he had a daughter, though this revelation explained a lot. _"You look and act just like her and I guess that was why I've always felt so complied to take care of you - and your sister too." He shrugged, tiredly. "But that doesn't matter anymore, _you _despise me and I don't blame you. I deserve your hatred." Laurent cocked the gun, raising it closer to my head. _I panicked. _

"You don't have to do this, Laurent!" I pleaded, desperation kicking in. _I didn__'__t want to die. _Sophia's face flashed into my mind, _I couldn__'__t leave her! _Daryl's next and I willed that I had parted on better terms with the man, now that my demise seemed so imminent. Laurent nodded, resignedly.

"I do, Ruby." He told me, firmly. "Governor's orders." Then-

_Bang!_

And then…

_Nothing. _

I'm not sure what I expected of death, but it sure didn't seem like it would be the exact same sensation as shutting my eyes. I experienced no pain, saw no light, felt no _different_.

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and immediately set my gaze on the stiff body that lay sprawled before me. _Laurent. _Blood seeped from a bullet hole in his head and his eyes were staring out, unseeing. My eyes widened at the sight of his body, though confusion fixated me. I didn't understand. _Wasn__'__t it supposed to be _me _that was dead? _Not the other way around...

I hadn't even noticed the figure in the doorway until they stepped forward and I was equally thrown back in shock when none other but _Merle Dixon _stepped into the light. He observed the body with distaste and it was then that I noticed the gun in his only hand. I added up the facts and came to one conclusion.

_Merle had saved my life. _

The man in question raised his gaze to look at me and for a moment there was a apprehensive silence between us. Suddenly though, a smirk graced Merle's face.

"I've returned the favour now, darlin'. I saved ya life." He announced, proudly. Merle stepped over the body and pushed my body forward so he could undo my bonds. I was still in a daze of complete shock but couldn't help but smile at this development. _Merle had saved my life._ "Guess this makes us even now, don't it?"

* * *

_(Author's Note): I can't even comprehend the jealousy to all you Americans that have watched the restart of season 3 already. Sometimes it sucks to be British :/ _

_I guess Merle is a bit love/hate in this chapter. I didn't want things to go perfectly between his and Ruby's reunion because I don't think Merle is the kind of person to bake a cake ("with pink frosting!" ;)) so hopefully I've portrayed him alright in this chapter. I've tried to find the balance between "Ruby's Merle" and the show's Merle and I'd really appreciate it if you guys tell me what you think of his and Ruby's interactions throughout this chapter and the choices Merle has made regarding Daryl, Ruby and the Governor. I don't want him to be OOC! So if you think anything he's done in this latest update isn't in his character, please let me know. _

_I've concluded Laurent's part in the story and I've tried to show the bitter balance in the man. He's not a bad guy, just made the wrong choices. :/ And for all those that care - Martinez is canon to both the comics and the show, though he plays two entirely different roles in each. I don't think I'll take his character too far, at the moment he's just another of the Governor's "goons", though we'll see what the rest of season 3 brings and what ideas sprout from my imagination! _

_So, I'm curious to know what you guys will think will happen now? What do you think will happen regarding the attack on Woodbury? Who is it? ;) Is Michonne alright? Will Ruby and Merle make it out? _

_I am getting quite concerned about the length of this story. It's heading up to 40 chapters now and so far I haven't really planned too much into the future, certainly not an ending yet. I have round about ideas floating around but nothing is fixed and I wanted to wait to see the second half of season 3 to see where that's heading so I could function some ideas. But if I did that, it seems I would have to go into an 8 week hiatus and that wouldn't be cool! :( I just wanted to know though, if you guys are still cool with the length? I have considered drawing it to a close soon and perhaps taking it up in a sequel - there's no way I'm done with Ruby yet though! But I'd much prefer to keep it as one flowing story, I'm just concerned people are getting a little over-whelmed by Loginquitas' growing length. Please let me know your thoughts on this! Thanks! _

_Thanks for the reviews and feedback on the last chapter, I really appreciate them a lot! And sorry again for the malfunction on the updating last time - not really sure what happened but glad it's fixed now! Please spare a few moments to tell me how you think the latest chapter has gone and I'll try and update when I can. And again to my American readers - no spoilers please from the latest episode! Thank you! :) _


	39. Chapter Thirty Eight

_Chapter Thirty Eight_

When my bonds fell, Merle stood back so I could haul myself up onto my feet at my own pace. As I did, he examined Laurent's body, taking the dead man's weapon and placing it on the table before continuing rummaging through his unneeded pockets with a thoughtful frown on his face.

I had to grip the wooden table top to help myself up, my entire body weak and burning with intense pain from the brutal beatings I had endured. Wincing, I finally straightened up and Merle glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow as the painful hiss reached his ears.

"Everything hurts." I breathed as an explanation and the man's jaw tightened at the comment, though he said nothing more. "You saved me." I muttered, bringing both our attention onto what had just happened. Merle hesitated before standing up straight and eyeing me with a smirk.

"Surely ya hadn't lost _all_ faith in ol' Merle, huh?" He sniggered and I wheezed a scoff. "We gonna 'ave to head out pretty sharp-ish, darlin', before they come snoopin' around." I nodded.

"We need to get Michonne." I told him, firmly. I expected some protests and was surprised when Merle's face turned incredulous - as if I had outright suggested the terrible thing of leaving her behind.

"Of course; can't forget Micky." He held out Laurent's gun to me to take though I hesitated before doing so and eyed him nervously. "I need ya armed, girl." I nodded once, swallowing back the thoughts of the weapon's proceeding owner and taking the outstretched weapon. "Can ya walk?"

"Only one way to find out." I muttered, shooing the man away to give myself some space.

I lost my balance on the first step I took and latched onto Merle's arm for support. The man grumbled a bit at the contact but allowed me to use him as leverage to get myself straight again. It took a few attempts but I made it across the room to the door with a wobbly limp. Though it was good enough for Merle.

"C'mon." He grunted, leading the way out into the corridor, checking it was clear before beckoning me out. Merle had pretty much unlocked Michonne's door by the time I had managed to get myself to him and had stepped inside. I followed quickly, worrying about what state I would find my friend in.

The scene before us was gruesome to say the least, heart-breaking to come to terms with. Michonne's unmoving body was strung up on a single hook in the ceiling, her arms tied and held high. Blood dripped from the bounds and I gathered they had been acquired much the same reason mine had; _in a bid to escape_. Her body was equally as beaten and what horrified me the most was the bare minimum clothes she was wearing, most of her clothes had been discarded on the floor. Thoughts of what she had endured sickened me and I limped over towards my friend, willing the tears not to break. Her head was bowed and dreads covered her face; I was unsure if the woman was actually conscious.

"Michonne." I tried, quietly as not to startle the woman. The response was minor but the body before me let out a wince of a sigh. "It's Ruby and Merle, Michonne. We've come to get you out."

"Ruby?" She breathed and I sighed with relief. _She was alive. _Though there was no time to talk, we needed to leave. _Now. _

"Help me with her." I glanced over my shoulder at Merle. The man was stood back, observing Michonne in her state with a bemused expression, one of complete shock and with slight horror. When he made no move forward, I softly urged him; "Merle, please."

That snapped the man out of his senses and he marched forward, his expression now a scowl. One terrifyingly dark. He gathered up Michonne's clothes before gesturing me to help her back into them. Carefully we dressed the woman, as not to hurt her too much. We ignored the all thoughts for a moment as we did, though I knew anger was brewing in both of us.

"Wow, Micky, ya look like shit." Merle whistled, getting to work on cutting her bonds. I was surprised when Michonne breathed a chuckle.

"Nice to see you too, Merle." She murmured back and Merle smirked. When he had cut one of her hands free, I looped it over my shoulder to keep the woman standing and to ease the weight from her. It was painful for me, the extra pressure, but I kept myself up and willed myself to remain strong for Michonne. When Merle had cut the other hand free, he caught the woman before she buckled and took her arm around his shoulder.

"I'll take her weight, ya go on." He nodded and I let Merle take her.

Merle directed us out of the dingy maze Michonne and I had been locked in and thankfully we didn't run into any of the Governor's men; probably because they were all defending the town against the attack. Gun fire and cries echoed in the background and I couldn't help the nagging feeling that the attack could be from Rick and the others. _They had come back for us. _

Merle led us out onto the streets of Woodbury, which were in utter chaos. People were running, screaming, some were even on the floor; dead. At the far end of town, a large smoke cloud had grown and the Governor's men were firing in it's direction. Returning fire came from the smoke and my heart leapt at the prospect of Rick, Daryl and the others lingering within it - just merely down the street from us.

"In here." Merle urged, gesturing to an empty looking building. I took one last glance at the battle down the street before leading the way inside through the front door.

I was thankful that it was empty and Merle heaved a sigh before carefully lowering Michonne down onto a chair. I limped over to her, checking her over to make sure she was still breathing as Merle scanned the room we were in.

"What happens now?" I asked. "How do we get out of Woodbury without getting noticed?" Merle hesitated before turning away from the window and glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

"If I get us out of Woodbury, ya'll will take me to my brother, right?" Merle asked slowly. I paused, remembering that while I was glad to see Merle, I had already pushed my luck bringing Michonne to the prison. I wasn't sure if Rick would be pleased if I showed Merle where we were either. _But surely he__'__d understand? Merle _is _Daryl__'__s brother after all. _

"I knew you weren't doing this out of the goodness of your own heart." I muttered, smirking. Merle grinned back before holding his hand over his heart.

"Savin' ya ass was out of the goodness of my heart, darlin." He replied in a feign sincere tone. "Though gettin' ya out - that's sumthin' we're gonna bargain over." I breathed a chuckle of disbelief before turning back to Michonne. Her eyes stared back, though she appeared too weak to contribute, merely observe the interactions around her. _I needed Merle to get her to safety, to get her help. _And there seemed to be only _one _way he'd help us.

Before I could reply though, the sounds of footsteps alerted our attention. They came from the back of the house and I felt the fear course through me again. _They would find us. _I couldn't bear to think of the pain we'd have to endure again, a feeling of horror over-whelmed me and I shuddered when Merle went to investigate.

With each step he took, my breaths were shallow and Michonne's hand reached out to grab mine weakly. I squeezed back as assurance and we both watched as our handless friend crept slowly towards the room at the back. When he disappeared from sight there was a sickening silent pause and we were unsure what to do. Then suddenly-

"Ya better lower the gun, Blondie, before things get real ugly." Merle's voice hissed. I glanced at Michonne. There was the sound of shuffling steps before Merle emerged again, though this time he was not alone.

"Andrea?" I gushed in exasperation. The blonde woman stopped for a moment, merely staring at me in shock, before she rushed over and held me in a hug. I hissed in pain as she squeezed too tight and she immediately let go, holding me at arms length and studying my face in horror.

"What the hell have they done to you?" She murmured in disbelief. For the first time, I forgot the pain and merely lavished in my friend's presence. _She was here. _And that meant the others must be too. "We've come to get you." She stated before her eyes turned towards where Michonne was supporting herself. Andrea's eyes immediately fell sour. "You! You're the one who tricked her here!" She cried, raising her gun to Michonne's head. Merle quickly stood forward, holding his knifed arm in Andrea's direction with an expression that told her to back off.

"What are you doing?" I cried, confused at Andrea's actions. The woman eyed Merle with a glare before glancing at me. Her gun was still raised.

"_She__'__s _the one that took you off alone, she's the reason you're here!" She stated and I shook my head frantically at her assumption.

"No, no! Michonne was captured _with _me!" I told her, scared that Andrea seemed very willing to put a bullet in Michonne's head. "Andrea, she's suffered more than _me _at the hands of the Governor. You've got to believe me." Andrea stared at me for a long moment before lowering her gun slowly. Merle backed off and stood behind Michonne.

"The others thought that she'd tricked you, to bring you to Woodbury." She explained. I shook my head to deny this accusation and Andrea sighed before turning to Merle. "The hell are _you _doing here?" She demanded, none too nicely. Merle smirked.

"I'm a resident here, sugar tits." He told her. Andrea narrowed her eyes. "Though if it weren't for little ol' me; Ruby 'nd Micky wouldn't be here right now." Andrea turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"He saved my life." I nodded. Andrea scoffed in shock. "He was going to help us out of Woodbury. Though I didn't know if Rick would want me to bring him back to the group." Andrea's expression hardened at this and she nodded thoughtfully.

"Not sure you're going to be welcomed warmly by everyone, Merle." Andrea told him. Merle shrugged.

"Like I give a shit 'bout what ya people think of me." He muttered. "Though I'm curious to know, is my brother here?" Andrea paused at his direct question and I too found myself intently interested with the answer. The woman hesitated before meeting my gaze. She smiled slightly at me and nodded. "Then ya gotta take me to him."

"I don't have to do anything-"

"Now, look here, Blondie-"

"Guys, please!" I hissed, hearing voices outside and realising that the two were getting quite loud. The conversation passed by the building we were in and we all held our breath, waiting for them to pass. When the voices drifted away, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Andrea, he's the right to see his brother again." I told my friend, firmly. Her jaw hardened at the comment, while Merle grinned. "Though we don't have to take him back home with us." Merle's grin flattered then. "We'll let Rick decide." Andrea looked happier with that idea.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, with a sigh. "I've been sent to locate you and take you to safety. Rick and the others are providing the distraction. I've been told to meet the others back at the vehicles when I've got you." I nodded.

"You take Michonne to the cars - she's in dire need of medical care." I told Andrea, firmly. "And you make sure the others know that she's _not _the one who sold me out. You do _not _let them harm her, alright?" Andrea frowned before nodding.

"What about _you?__" _She asked. I hesitated before sighing.

"I _need _to find my sister." I managed after a moment's pause. Andrea's eyes widened and Merle scoffed.

"Ain't ya sister the one who is screwin' the Governor?" Merle asked with a frown and I glared at the man. He shook his head. "Darlin', she's a hopeless case. The girl is the Governor's pet; will do anythin' 'nd everythin' for him. Ya can't expect 'er to come with ya-"

"I don't expect her to." I denied. "I just _need _to talk to her. I need to understand why she can willing betray her own sister for that _monster.__"_Merle studied me for a moment before sighing.

"Well, ya ain't got the first clue on how to find 'er so looks like I'm gonna 'ave to stay behind with ya." He muttered before winking at me.

"You sure about that?" Andrea asked me hesitantly. I smiled a little.

"Merle's an old friend of mine, remember?" I assured her. "So, you take Michonne to the meeting point, Merle and I will catch up with you later?" Andrea hesitated before sighing and nodding with understanding.

"The cars are the same place we parked them before, you remember where that is?" I nodded after scanning my memories to locate them successfully. Andrea studied my face for a moment before taking me in another hug, this one more careful. "You stay safe and if things start getting dangerous, you _get out. _I know you want answers from you sister, Ruby, but _your life _is more important. We can get the answers you want later, just _stay safe.__"_I nodded and smiled. "Good luck."

Andrea then turned to Michonne, who eyed the woman before her through narrowed eyes. The blonde, hesitantly, reached down and looped one of Michonne's arms over her shoulder before heaving her up carefully. Merle scoped the back for the pair and confirmed that it was clear. Andrea promised she'd take care of Michonne for me, before the two vanished out the back and began their journey to safety. Merle returned to me, eyeing me with a raised eyebrow.

"Ya sure 'bout this, darlin?" He asked, slowly. "Cause there may be some answers ya don't wanna know." I shrugged, carefully as to not strain my bruised body too much.

"I'd prefer to know." I replied, an attempt of defiance and Merle nodded once before leading the way out of the building we had taken brief lodge in.

The streets still remained a battlefield, but as we passed across to the opposite row of buildings, I couldn't help but scan the smoke in an attempt to spot any familiar figure. Now that Andrea had confirmed that the others had come to get me back, I was over-whelmed with happiness and warmth; _they cared enough to come back for me. _The thought made me smile and I felt hopeful to set eyes on familiar faces once more and be back at the cell block that I now called _home. _

Merle's pace was quick and the man urged me to follow rapidly. I lagged behind, my pace a hobbled limp, but Merle didn't lumber on without me and would pause to wait for me to catch up before carrying on. He was persistent and his eyes were constantly on alert. His movements reminded me of Daryl's when the younger Dixon scouted in the woods, eyes alert, movements meaningful. The pair were more alike than I actually realised.

Suddenly, Merle's pace came to a halt and I knew something was wrong as his whole body tensed. I waited beside him, urging him to do something, to say something. When he turned to me, he had a grave expression on his face.

"The Governor's apartment is in the next buildin'." He explained. "But we gotta problem, girl." I raised an eyebrow.

"_What _problem?" I urged.

"Martinez 'nd a couple of others are outside." He told me. "We can't get through 'em without givin' ya away." I swallowed down, realising that this would conclude my journey to answers. Though Merle hesitated. "Though, I reckon I got a plan." My ears perked up at this. "_I__'__ll _distract the goons, while ya sneak in through the door. The Governor's apartment is up the stairs 'nd then the second door on the right." Merle paused. "Ya will 'ave to go alone in there, girl, if ya _really _want these answers. Once I get the goons talkin', I can't help ya." I thought the idea over, daunted by the idea of facing Jessica alone and worried that perhaps _she _wouldn't be alone. Though I realised that perhaps this may be my only chance to find these answers.

"Alright." I breathed, nodding. "You distract them, I'll go up. We'll meet up in that building me met Andrea in after I'm done." Merle hesitated before sighing and shrugging.

"Don't fuck 'bout though. Ya get in, ya get what ya want then ya leave." Merle warned slowly. "We don't got time for much else." I nodded firmly.

"Be careful." I urged the man.

In return Merle scoffed in disbelief before sauntering away to provide the distraction. I watched him approach the group, getting their attention and drawing it away from the door. When I saw the opportunity, I made my move. As quickly as I could through the burning pain, I limped towards the door, thankful that Merle's distraction was working. When I reached it, I glanced back, meeting Merle's gaze briefly. With a pause, I opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it firmly behind me and realising that _now, _I was _alone. _

"_The Governor__'__s apartment is up the stairs __'__nd then the second door on the right.__"_

I nodded once at Merle's echoing instructions and eyed the empty hall briefly before limping towards the stairs that I assumed Merle meant. Attempting the stairs was much more painful than I had assumed and I gripped the banister for dear life, the rail providing leverage upon each step. Once I had reached the top, I had to pause to gather my strength. I hadn't truly appreciated the Governor's damage in it's entirety but I knew that I'd be aching and bruised for a while now. Carefully, I eyed the door Merle's instructions directed me to and swallowed back the feelings of uncertainty. _I wanted these answers after all. _

The steps I took across the hall to the door were small and hesitant. When I found myself standing outside the room that was apparently the Governor's apartment, I had to bite back the urge to knock. _What was the point of being polite? _With a sigh, I turned the handle and went inside.

The Governor's apartment was surprisingly lavish, taking me completely by surprise for a moment. It was so clean, _so normal looking_; completely the opposite of what I was used to now. I took a few steps inside, letting the door close behind me, and I observed the room with a feeling of brief awe.

Though I then remembered that gawping at the room wasn't what I had come for and my attention was soon directed away from the lavishness and soon on locating my sister. When taking immediate observation, Jessica wasn't to be seen and I wondered if perhaps she wasn't in the apartment at all and was perhaps aiding the fight else where. As I suggested this possibility, I realise how stupid it seemed; Jessica wouldn't be one to engage in fight, she'd much rather cower away and let everyone else argue it out. _Oh no, she was here somewhere. _

Before I investigated more, I spied something on the dining table. _Michonne and my weapons. _Michonne's katana stood out the most though my gun and knife sat beside it. I quickly limped over and took my gun with a sigh of relief. I checked it was loaded, finding all ammo still accounted for. I pocketed my knife and gun - still holding onto Laurent's - then sheathed Michonne's katana back into it's strap and looping it over my shoulder. _The woman would be overjoyed when I returned the sword back to her. _I then begun my look around.

I investigated the bedroom, though found it empty. Then I ventured towards the bathroom and still found nothing. It was only when I returned back to the main living space, that I spotted another door across the room. It was open slightly and there was an odd blue glow around the frame, coming from inside. Cautiously, I limped over to it, thankfully that I had armed myself, before slowly opening the door to reveal it's contents.

The room was quite small and at first appeared empty. Though when I ventured further in, I found a single arm chair in the middle facing the wall to the left. The wall it was facing was where the blue glow illuminated from and I turned to look at it's source, though started back at what I saw.

_Heads. _So many decapitated heads, some heads of walkers, some heads of once living people. They were contained in large fish tanks, all stacked up in rows and the number of them was over-alarming. I stumbled back against the door frame, not truly able to comprehend what was before me, memories of Ben and Billy's heads came to mind and I felt sick at the sight of more of them. I was so over-whelmed with them that I hadn't noticed another in the room as well.

"It's strange, isn't it? How someone could keep so many of them as if they were his _pets._" A voice sounded from the back of the room. I whizzed around in an instant and raised Laurent's gun defiantly. When I set eyes on my sister, my eyes narrowed and I hesitated before lowering it, realising that she wasn't armed. _She wasn__'__t a threat._

"_Strange _wouldn't be how I'd describe it." I countered, bitterly. "More _sick to fuck.__"_Jessica breathed a chuckle and shrugged, before turning her gaze back to the wall of heads, a sudden hint of fear in her eyes now. I eyed her cautiously, reminiscing on everything that had happened between us before shaking my head. "What happened to you, Jessica?" I asked, slowly.

"The world went to shit, that's what happened to me." She retorted in a stiff tone. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You weren't always like this." I shook my head. "You weren't always such a heartless coward who would willing sell her sister out."

"_You__'__re_ the one who left in the first place." Jessica muttered, eyeing me with a glare. I stared at her in disbelief.

"That's because your _boyfriend _and his friends were cannibal rapists!" I cried.

"_You left me.__"_

"I offered you the chance to come with me!" I reminded her, my anger brewing. "_You__'__re_ the one who betrayed me and told the Governor _everything. You__'__re _the reason Michonne and I have been hounded. _You__'__re _the reason we were tortured and nearly killed. _You__'__re _the reason Michonne was raped!"

"If you had just stayed then none of this would have happened-"

"Stayed?!" I cut in. "Why the _hell _would I want to have stayed? So I could become dinner or someone's fuck buddy?"

"For me!" Jessica screamed, suddenly. Her eyes flared and I back off slightly, completely taken back by this turn about in Jessica. I had never seen her so angry. "You chose that woman - _Michonne - _over _me! _I'm your sister!"

"Well, the same could be said about you too, Jessica. _You _chose the Governor over me."

"His name is Philip-"

"And he's one sick bastard." I hissed, eyeing her carefully. "You know _he__'__s _the one who raped Michonne, right?"

"I don't believe you." I scoffed in disbelief.

"Of course you don't. He's got you brainwashed into thinking that he actually _loves _you."

"Philip does love me." Her tone wavered and she didn't sound completely sure about the statement. I shook my head, smiling sadly at my little sister. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Ruby! You don't _know _him."

"I know him well enough to know that the moment he gets bored of you, he'll throw you aside like you're nothing." I told her, firmly. "You don't mean anything to him but someone to sleep with when he feels like it. You need to start realising that, Jessica. _I__'__m _your _sister, _remember? I tell you this for your best intentions-"

"My best intentions?" Jessica scoffed. "You trying to play the big sister role again after _abandoning _me, huh?" I shook my head, completely shocked by Jessica's words. She sounded so different, so _brainwashed. _These weren't her words.

"What have I done to you, Jessica, that's made you hate me so much?" I asked, quietly. Jessica's face started a bit at my question. "I don't recall _ever _betraying you, I've only looked out for you and wanted what's best for you. But then _you _went and sold me out. _Twice. _You sold me out to someone who wants to _kill me.__"_Jessica didn't reply, merely stared at me with an increasingly vulnerable expression. The pity that welled up in me only made me angry. _I didn__'__t want to pity her anymore. _Not after everything she'd done. "Tell me!" I screamed, watching as Jessica flinched at my voice.

Suddenly, Jessica hitched a sob and collapsed into a heap on her knees. I watched in shock, unable to do anything, as her cries echoed in that unusually horrific room. My sister lay before me, crumpled into a mess and crawling towards me.

"I'm sorry." Her cries began. "I'm sorry, Ruby, for everything. I've been so awful to you! I was so blinded by love that I didn't- Oh God, I'm sorry!" I stared down at her as she gripped my jeans and couldn't speak to save my life for a few very long moments. She continued her apology, it mixing in with each sob. Slowly, when I regained me bearings again, I pried her grip away from me and backed up. My heart welled at the sight of my broken sister, but I knew better than to let my guard down. _Not after last time. _

"I'm your _sister, _Jessica." I began, slowly. She stared up at me with large, watery eyes. "I should come first before some guy, especially a guy like the Governor." She nodded frantically.

"I know and I regret _everything _that I've ever done to you!" Her eyes wandered to the gun in my hand and I tensed slightly. Though I had misinterpreted her observation. "I don't want to live anymore, Ruby." I started at this. "Kill me, _please. _I can't carry on anymore." I shook my head.

"Shut the hell up, Jessica. Get up." She shook her head.

"Laurent was right; _I__'__m not cut out for a world like this. _I can't adapt like you, Ruby. I'm not as strong as you." Tears carried on streaming down her face and I frowned at everything she was saying to me. "I guess that's why I attached myself to Philip. _He kept me alive. _I knew that if I was with him, then I'd be safe. That's why I didn't want to go with you; going with you was the more dangerous option-"

"You stayed with _him _because you're a coward, is that what you're saying?" I muttered and she nodded.

"I am a coward." Jessica breathed. "A coward that would trade her own sister in if it meant that she would stay safe. And I can't live with knowing that anymore."

Suddenly, she leapt forward, making a grab at the gun and I stumbled back when she collided with me. Her grip tightened around the gun and I tugged it away, though ended up falling back against the wall of fish tanks. There was a groaning sway as the tanks threatened to fall and I quickly rushed away in case they did. _They didn__'__t, thankfully. _Jessica made another attempt at the gun and before I could stop myself, I had struck her hard, making her fall back.

Jessica eyed me nervously from her position on the floor, holding her face where I'd hit her. I stared back, in shock at what I'd done. No matter what she'd done to me, I _never _wished to hurt her like that. I swallowed back, before hiding the gun from sight so Jessica wouldn't be so tempted to jump me again.

"I will _not _kill you, Jessica." I told her, firmly. "That's not what I came here for. I came to get answers. And now I've got them." I stared down at her carefully before shaking my head.

"Take me with you." She suddenly begged. I raised an eyebrow at her and immediately shook my head. _No way. _"Please, Ruby! I'm your sister! I can't stay here any longer."

"You should have thought about that before you betrayed me." I muttered, making a move to leave. Though a noise behind me caught my attention.

I spun on my heels and spotted a caged door in the wall that I hadn't noticed until now. I glanced over my shoulder at Jessica who was staring at the door with complete fear. I took out my gun again before shuffling toward the door, cautious as to what was behind in. The lock made a loud echoing noise when I unlatched it and I slowly pushed the door open, stepping back away from it as I did. Then there was a pause.

Suddenly, a small being ran out of the darkness, it's head covered with a white bag and it's arms tied behind it's back. It ran forward, startling Jessica and I, though stopped when the chain around it's neck went tight. It continued to thrash though, it's muffled snarls and groans all too familiar. Hesitantly, I removed the bag from it's head.

"Her name is Penny." Jessica breathed, as a zombified girl, no more than eight or nine, was revealed under the bag. "She's Philip's daughter." I turned to her in shock.

"His _daughter?__" _I hissed in shock. Jessica nodded, getting to her feet and stepping toward the thrashing girl.

"He's trying to find a cure from the infection, to save her." She told me, quietly. "He can't understand that his little girl is _gone _and this is just a mere shell of her being."

I eyed the girl quietly and instead of pitying the man who clearly loved his daughter, I felt nothing but anger toward the walker girl. As she continued to thrash wildly, trying to get to us, I saw a simple solution to getting back at the monster that had ruined so much that I'd cared for.

When I raised my gun to walker Penny's face, Jessica turned to me in shock.

"You can't-"

"Watch me." I muttered, cocking the gun. There was a pause before Jessica spoke again.

"Let me." She begged suddenly and I glanced at her. "Let me do this. I _need _to do this, after everything that man has done, it should be _me.__"_I eyed her carefully, not wanting to trust her with a gun. "I don't kill myself, or you. I promise." I scoffed, knowing that Jessica wasn't the best person to trust with promises but nethertheless gave her the gun. _I was readily armed anyway if she tried anything. _

Jessica hesitated before slowly raising the gun to Penny's face. Her face was thoughtful for a moment and I continued to study my sister's face as she contemplated her thoughts. When the resounding gunshot went off, followed by the thud of dead weight hitting the floor, I saw the Jessica I once knew in the expression of the woman before me. When she met my eyes, there was a long moment of silence as we merely just regarded each other. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' and I merely nodded once in return, holding out my hand to take the gun back from her. I was mildly surprised that she didn't hesitate before giving it back.

I took one glance at the body of the dead girl, before turning to walk away. Though Jessica stopped me.

"Ruby, wait." She breathed. "We can't leave each other like this. Please, tell me that you forgive me for what I've done to you!"

"Mother told us not to lie, Jessica, so I can't do that." I muttered, bitterly. Jessica bite her lip, her expression threatening to break into tears again and pity over-whelmed me again. At this, I sighed. "Look, Jessica. You can't take away the betrayal, what you've done has cut far too deep to fix with a mere apology." A sob lingered between us and I shook my head once. "But you're still my sister and I guess even after everything that counts for something." Jessica's face lit up slightly.

"Will you take me with you?" She asked, hopefully. I didn't hesitate in shaking my head.

"No." I told her. "Those people I'm with, _they_ are my family now. I care about them, trust them, _would die for each and every one of them._ Which is more than what I can say for _you. _I won't put them in danger by bringing you back to them."

"Ruby, what can I do to show you that I'm sorry for what I've done?!" Jessica pleaded. "I'll leave Philip, I'll tell you all his weaknesses, I'll help you kill him. But please, don't leave me here with him! I won't ever betray you again, Ruby! You're the only person I care for in this world anymore and I'd do anything to show you that!"

My reply was cut off by the sound of the door to the apartment opening. Both Jessica and I froze at the sound and I watched as the fear transpired onto Jessica's features. Footsteps began to come closer and suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway, illuminated by the blue glow of the fish tanks.

The Governor eyed Jessica and I for a moment before his eyes wandered to the body on the floor. An emotion of complete devastation struck his face and I tensed as he took a step forward, his eyes never moving from the body on the floor. I backed up when he carried on forward, crouching before Penny's body and brushing the hair from her dead _dead _face. Another figure appeared in the doorway; Martinez, and the man visibly fell fearful at the sight of the dead girl.

The silence drew out in the room and I realised that I had found myself in a terrible predicament now. Martinez blocked the exit so I couldn't make a run for it, and I realised that the Governor would be out for blood to avenge his daughter. But surely Jessica, who apparently wanted to redeem herself and prove herself as a sister, would take the blame and perhaps save me? _Perhaps we could get through this as sisters? _

"Who did this?" The Governor asked, his voice dangerously quiet. Slowly he got to his feet and turned to face Jessica and I. Neither of us spoke for a moment.

"She did."

The sound of the third betrayal surprisingly didn't phase me. My reply to Jessica's statement was a tired scoff. _I might as well face my death now it was imminent. _I eyed my sister with a look of pure distaste as she shone her innocent, flirtatious eyes on the Governor. _She meant nothing to me now. _The third betrayal was the last knock on the head - _Jessica meant nothing to me anymore. _She was no longer family, my _real _family was fighting on the streets _for me. _My _real _family wouldn't sell me out like this, they wouldn't betray me like this.

The Governor eyed me thoughtfully and I glanced at him before letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

"If you're going to kill me, I'd prefer if you didn't prolong it like this." I muttered. The Governor's eyes still implored mine for a few more moment before turning to Martinez. He nodded one cut nod and I heard the resounding noise of a gun cocking. _This was it-_

_Bang._

I stared in shock as the bullet pierced Jessica's head, sending a thin spray of blood over the Governor. Her body remained standing for a brief second before she - my _little sister - _fell limp to the floor. _Dead. _It felt as if everything had stood still for a moment and though I had concluded that Jessica meant nothing to me, I couldn't prepare myself for the shock of her lifeless body on the floor before me. _Jessica was dead. _I stuttered to breath. _My sister was dead. _

"You know, Ruby," The Governor began, slowly. "I've always hated _liars._" I met his gaze, seeing that he had seen through my sister's lies and felt sick for a moment. He smirked slightly at me before glancing at Martinez again briefly, sending him another cut nod.

A hard object struck the back of my head and I felt myself fall to the floor beside the body of my sister. The last thing I saw before drifting into the unconscious world again were the glazed eyes of Jessica staring back at me, burning an etch in my memories, and concluding the realisation that _my sister was dead._

* * *

"Where'd you get that, Ruby?" My five year old sister asked me as I bounded towards her with a newly baked cupcake. I grinned at her before urging her to follow me under the slide in our backyard, of course she followed obediently.

"Mom just made some." I told her, holding it out for Jessica to examine. Our mother was an incredible baker and loved to decorate her work in so many amazing ways, her imagination ran wild where cakes and confectionary were concerned. "There for Uncle Stephen's birthday." We both stared in awe at the cake for a moment. Simple pink icing, though lavishly decorated with glitter, flowers and a detailed (hopefully edible) butterfly in the middle.

"It's a bit girly for Uncle Stephen!" Jessica giggled, smiling at me with a toothless smile. I nodded in agreement before holding it out to Jessica. She stared at it wide eyes.

"Go on, have it!" I urged. She shook her head. "I could only manage to get one 'cos Mom was coming! You can have the first bite! You're the youngest after all."Jessica didn't hesitate any longer before taking the cake from me and taking the biggest mouthful she could in the small mouth she had. She chewed it with a smile and nodded frantically. Though when I tried to take it back, to try it myself, she scampered away from under the slide. Taking the cake with her. "Hey!" I cried with a frown before chasing after her.

By the time I had chased Jessica around the course of the yard and caught up with her, she had eaten the entire cake. I frowned at my sister as she scrunched up the cake wrapper and threw it towards me to catch.

"We were supposed to share!" I told her, frowning. Jessica only grinned.

"Girls, what are you arguing about?" Mom's startling tones called as she approached us. I tensed, feeling the weight of the cake wrapper in my hand, and eyed our mother with terror as she set eyes on the wrapper in my hand. "Ruby, is that from my cakes?" She asked, plucking the wrapped from my grasp. "Have you been eating my cakes without asking?" I gulped in fear and tried to think of an excuse.

"It was me, Mommy!" Jessica said suddenly and I turned to my sister with surprise. "I ate the cake." Our mother turned to Jessica with a disapproving expression and proceeded to tell her off for her misbehaviour. Though Jessica didn't seem to care though, she bowed her head and took our mother's telling off and when she told us both to come inside, Jessica reached forward and placed her little hand in mine. She smiled up at me with that silly toothless grin and I remembered grinning back.

_I also remembered how glad I was that Jessica was my sister._

* * *

When I woke up the next time, I found myself in a similar room - if not the same - as I was being held in before. The only difference was the lack of table, but I didn't find myself observing this room for long as the door opened and Martinez waltzed in, the same air of cockiness as before.

"Sleep well, sweetheart?" Martinez drawled, smirking at me. My head throbbed from where he had struck me though the rest of my pain had numbed a little. _Thankfully. _

"You gonna interrogate me again?" I asked, shifting in the chair I was sat in. It was then that I realised I wasn't actually bound to the chair, merely had my hands tied behind my back. Martinez shook his head.

"Afraid not, darling." He told me. "I've come to escort you actually." _Escort me? _Martinez reached forward and hauled me to my feet. "C'mon, wouldn't want you to miss tonight's entertainment." The smirk he sent my way sickened me and I dreaded to think what 'tonight's entertainment' entailed.

I was led down the corridors that had kept Michonne and I prisoners for however long, though I noted that we were taking a different route than the one Merle took us down.

My thoughts itched around the thoughts of the others. _Had everyone got out? Had anyone been killed? _I hated to think of the confirmation of the latter and urged myself to believe that _I _was the only one left in Woodbury and that everyone else had made it out, safe and sound. Perhaps the Dixon brothers were reuniting right this second, and I felt briefly saddened that I may have missed their reunion. Though I realised that I would be glad then that they hadn't reunited under the terms of Woodbury. _That would be awful. _

Martinez continued his shoving until suddenly we came out into an almost arena looking scene. The entire town had arranged themselves around a dirt pit, some on elevated stands that all overlooked the centre. The chatter between everyone was so loud and I was startled by the sight of so many _living _people. No one took notice of me though as Martinez urged me forward, though I continued to observe the townsfolk from a distance and remained confused on what was actually happening.

I saw the Governor across the arena, gathered with some of his men. As I scanned my eyes around the place, I noticed quite _a lot _of men with weapons surrounding the townsfolk and gathered that they must have been the Governor's _goons. _

My eyes continued to sweep across the faces, as I waited for what was going to happen - _was this going to be some town meeting or something? _- though my eyes suddenly stopped on an obscenely familiar face. _One that shouldn__'__t be there. _

Merle stared back at me with wide, horrified eyes. A gaze much the same as the one when he and Michonne left me in a herd of walkers. _Why the hell was he here? Why hadn__'__t he left with the others? _I couldn't help the feeling of devastation that Merle hadn't made it out, but also a glimpse of hope. He stood near the Governor and his men and I realised that perhaps his cover as one of the goons was still up. With Merle on the inside, I held faith again that we'd _both _get out of this. We could make it out of this _alive. _

I attempted a subtle smile in Merle's direction, which was returned with a brief raise of the eyebrow. _I trusted that Merle was still with me. _We'd get out of this _together. _

Just then, the Governor stepped into the centre of the arena and the townsfolk fell silent as their leader stepped up to his 'podium'. I eyed the man carefully, feeling fearful as to what was going to happen next.

"What can I say?" The Governor began, his tones seemingly calm. "Hasn't been a night like this since the wall was completed. And I thought we were past that. Past the days when we were all sat, huddled, scared in front of the TV, during the early days of the outbreak." A pause, I shuddered as his eyes scanned the crowd, meeting mine for a brief moment. "The fear we all felt then, we felt it again tonight." There was a murmur of agreement and I eyed the crowd, wondering how they could willing follow the man before them - _though they didn__'__t know what I knew. _"I failed you, I promised to keep you safe. Hell, look at me." He gestured to his body and clothes which looked tussled and bloodied - though not his own blood, rather his walker daughter. "You know, I- I should tell you we'll be okay that we're safe. Tomorrow we bury our dead and endure, but I won't. I can't." Another pause - He was all for the dramatics. "Because _I__'__m afraid. _That's right. I'm afraid of the terrorists who will want what we have-"

"There isn't any terrorists-" I tried to say though Martinez held his gun firmer into my back, hushing the rest of my sentence.

"You keep quiet, girl. You're gonna want to see what happens next." He hissed close to my ear.

"-Because one of these terrorist is our own," _What? _The Governor paused and took a sweep amongst the shocked crowd and I frowned in confusion. _What was he talking about? _My heart dropped though when the Governor set his gaze on one man and pointed harshly in his direction. "Merle." _No! _Other goons then had their weapons on Merle, who looked equally as shocked as I was for a brief moment before his face fell hard. The men stripped him of his weapons - even the blade on the end of his arm - and Merle was jutted forward towards the Governor. "The man I counted on, Merle. The man I counted on, let them in." The Governor's face turned into a glare. "You lied. You betrayed us all." Merle's face stared darkly back at him and I felt panic build within me.

_How did the Governor find out? _Hadn't Merle kept his cover? Fear went through me as I considered what was going to happen next. What was the Governor going to do with Merle now? _Now that he had been branded a traitor? _

Two men suddenly approached the arena, shoving in front of them a restrained, hooded person. The restrained person struggled against them though the two men kept shoving them forward, almost making them stumble a few times over their blind feet. Staring at their approach, I felt another sense of dread course through me. _What the hell was going on? _

"This is one of the terrorists." The Governor announced and I suddenly felt sick to the stomach. _Oh God no! _The Governor reached forward to take the restrained person and pull him close to him, making sure Merle could see them clearly. Then he took hold of the hood and revealed their identity to everyone. "Merle's own brother!"

_Daryl. _

He stumbled a little with disorientation, glancing around him before setting eyes on his brother. Merle stared back with a look of confusion, mixed with something else I couldn't place, and Daryl stared back with a look that could only be described as _fear. _I felt sick, feeling my legs ready to buckle beneath me. _Daryl can__'__t be here! He can__'__t! _

Just then, his eyes scanned the crowd before connecting with mine and it only made things worse. So many emotions returned my gaze and I could only stare back in complete horror and dread. _This wasn__'__t happening! Daryl shouldn__'__t be here! _

_But he was. _

_Daryl was here. In Woodbury. _

_This didn__'__t look good._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Sorry for the slightly delayed update, this one took a while to get going. Hopefully it's come out alright! Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate it very much! _

_And the first episode - Oh it was awesome! So glad that it's back on again, I really have missed it in it's hiatus! Though please no spoilers for the second episode, us Brits have to wait until Friday :) Thank you! _

_So yeah, I've rounded it to the mid-season finale, which was an idea I was hesitant about. I didn't want to just rewrite the final scene with Ruby added in it, but hopefully it didn't come out too bad? I'm not sure what happens from here, to be honest. I'm not sure if I want to follow the show's lead and have Rick etc save them straight away or perhaps prolong it longer. I have some ideas, but you'll have to bear with me. I think the next update will take a little longer to get put up as I want to get my ideas together, but hopefully you guys will stick with me! :)_

_Thanks again, please tell me what you think of the latest installment! I'll update when I've got my ideas together! _


	40. Chapter Thirty Nine

_Chapter Thirty Nine_

Almost as quickly as Daryl had been presented to me, he was taken away again. The town erupted into shouts and cries for 'death' but it seemed barely audible with the muffled ringing in my ears. I couldn't take my eyes away from Daryl and his gaze seemed to be shared between Merle and myself. I watched as the Governor paced around the pair, speaking words that I couldn't quite make out. There was a devilish glint in the man's eyes and once his eyes gazed over in my direction, his face lit up into a smirk.

One cut nod at Martinez and I was dragged away again, my feet following his lead at their own accord. My mind was too busy comprehending the situation before me. _Daryl was in Woodbury. He was the Governor__'__s prisoner too. The Governor knew that Merle was a potential traitor. _Surely the three of us would face our imminent deaths now? _This was not good. _

All too quickly I found myself sat in the same wooden chair again in the same God awful room. I barely recognised what Martinez was saying to me, all I could think about was Daryl's face when the hood was removed - he looked so vulnerable, so confused, so _scared. _I wanted to run to him, to embrace him and apologise for everything bad between us. But I had been dragged away from the scene and I did not know what was happening with the Dixon brothers right now. _What had the Governor ordered for their fate? _

"You comfy enough, darling?" Martinez drawled, leaning down and grinning in my face. I regarded his face thoughtfully for a moment, holding myself together and attempting not to flinch as his dirty breath tickled my cheek.

"Could I make a suggestion for a redecoration in here? It's getting awfully tiring to be cooped up in here and staring at the same dingy walls for hours on end." I muttered in return, trying to keep my voice strong. Martinez smirked and patted my head. I shied away from his touch but he only chuckled a throaty chuckle.

"I'll be back later. When I do come back, be prepared to answer my questions." And with that, the man left and I was alone with my thoughts again.

_A torture in itself. _

I wasn't sure if Daryl's appearance in Woodbury was part of Rick and the other's plan but, judging by the memories of the hunter's face, it didn't seems so. The terrified expression seemed too real to fake and I wasn't sure how allowing Daryl to become a prisoner could possibly aid their attempt to get us out of the town. It seemed the plan had failed somewhere along the way.

Though surely Rick and the others were still nearby? They wouldn't just leave, not now that Daryl had been taken too. Rick wouldn't leave the hunter behind - Daryl was pretty much his second-in-command, a much too valuable asset to the group to be forgotten. Considering myself though, I wasn't sure how valuable I was to the group, most certainly not as important as Daryl to save, but surely enough to receive a similar regard. _Rick surely wouldn__'__t leave either of us behind? Not to the hands of the Governor? _

My mind began to dwell over the thoughts and as time passed I grew wary. _Why hadn__'__t they come back for us? _Doubts began to set and I wondered if they had abandoned the rescue mission altogether now that the most able of the group had been captured? Had they returned back to the prison? I felt the fear overwhelm me at the idea of being left to the Governor's assets. I didn't want to think of what he'd do to Daryl and Merle now, especially not when I recalled that devilish glint in his eye from the arena.

When Martinez returned, I was almost thankful to see him. _I could perhaps attempt to gather some information from the man about the state of the Dixons?_ The man strolled into the room, closing the door with a resounding slam, that I was adamant to admit I flinched at, and took a seat across from me. The table had been returned into my room and Martinez leaned forward, observing me with a thoughtful frown.

"What have you done with them?" I asked, breaking the silence. Martinez raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" He asked with a malicious smile. "The Dixon brothers?" I swallowed hard and remained unresponsive. "They ain't dead, don't worry. The Governor wants to keep them alive a little longer. That out there tonight was a show for the people. He's all about the dramatics, is the Gov." _Don__'__t I know it. _

"They're not giving you too much grief, I hope?" I replied coolly. "They're not good with people." Martinez smirked.

"Let's cut this shit out, huh?" Martinez began. "We've been here before, sweetheart. You know what I'm going to ask you."

"And you know what I'm going to say in answer to your questions." I returned with a mutter, never straying my gaze. "I will _not _tell you where they are." Martinez smirked.

"Your friends have killed a lot of people tonight." Martinez told me and the information didn't phase me. "Let me tell you, sweetheart, there's an extremely long queue of people who would more than happily return the favour towards your redneck friends." A pause and I thought this over. _A threat? _"Merle and his brother aren't in such a great position at the moment and neither are you. It's in your best interest, as well as the brothers', if you just tell us where the rest of your group is." I swallowed back the lump in my throat, trying to ignore his words and their impact. "I'll cut the crap, sweetheart. Answer the question; or we'll hurt your boys." I let out a chuckle.

"I don't think you really know the Dixon brothers very well." I muttered. "I doubt anything you and your friends do to them will haave much of an impact. Especially not compared to what they'll do to _you_ afterwards." Martinez chuckled.

"Like I said, they're not in the greatest positions at the moment." He informed me evenly and I raised an eyebrow.

"And like _I _said, _you _don't really know the Dixon brothers very well." There was a muse of silence between us as we regarded each other thoughtfully, each of us contemplating the other.

Despite trying to remain strong as a front, I knew their threats were true and I was fearful of the Dixons' safety. I tried to convince myself of my own statement - these people would have a tough time if they wanted to truly hurt the brothers. _This comforted me slightly. _

"I want to see them." I stated suddenly, an unintentional impulse. I bit my lip, regretting the words but trying to judge Martinez's reaction. A small smile appeared one the man's face and he shook his head once.

"No." He merely stated and I frowned.

"You let me see them then I'll consider answering your questions." I told him. Martinez shook his head.

"I'm not falling for your bullshit." He told me. I shrugged. _Worth a shot. _"How about we remove Merle's other hand and bring it in for you to see? Would that soften you for questioning? Or maybe we'll take away little brother's? So they match?" I swallowed hard and tried not to goad to his threats. Martinez leaned forward. "I wonder which one you care for the most." He muttered suddenly, causing me to start slightly. "Which one's pain will hurt you the most." I tried not to react as the man's eyes devoured mine.

"Let me see them." I said slowly.

"Which one would you like to see?" Martinez countered coolly and I narrowed my eyes. _I wouldn't heed to that one._

"How can I be sure that they're alive if you won't let me see them?" Martinez shrugged.

"You don't." He muttered.

"Then how can I know that your threats are even considerable?" Martinez laughed.

"You just have to trust us, sweetheart." It was my turn to laugh.

"Like hell I will." Martinez sighed dramatically and slowly got to his feet. As he cracked his knuckles, I tensed and the fear rose again.

"That attitude of yours, darling, is going to get you killed one day."

And that was the last words I heard before Martinez took a swing at me, connecting hard with my jaw. The force wasn't particularly strong but I was so overwhelmed with exhaustion and the throbbing pain that I allowed the darkness to take over me _again. _

…

"I'm getting really sick of you people using me as your personal punch bag." I muttered through a cracked jaw.

I jostled it a little, not liking the sound as it clicked loudly and I heaved over to spit the vast amount of blood that had gathered in my mouth. A dark chuckled echoed in the room and I hesitated in the moment of numbness before straightened up and eyeing the man across the table from me. It was then that I realised my hands weren't bound together anymore, though this didn't fill me with much comfort. _Was there a reason for this lack of restraint? _

The Governor slouched in the chair, drumming his fingers methodically on the table top. His eyes burned into mine and I hated the glint of evil in the man's eyes. I was starting to miss Martinez's presence - at least he was just a mere brainwashed goon. And not the brain behind the whole machine. _The evil behind it all. _

"Where'd Martinez go?" I asked, slowly.

"He's got things to do." The Governor told me. "And back to your earlier comment. If you'd comply then we wouldn't feel obliged to use you as our 'punch bag'." A slight smirk finished the sentence and I scoffed at his sincerity. "We've got _a lot _of things to talk about, Ruby." I raised an eyebrow.

"We do?" I muttered. The Governor nodded slowly, leaning forward.

"Well, first off I'd like to talk about _how _you're still _alive _when I ordered you and Michonne to be killed?" He muttered nonchalantly. "And I'd also like to know _where _our good friend Michonne actually is?" I swallowed hard before replying.

"Turns out Laurent wasn't the right man to send for the job." I told him. "And as for Michonne, well, how should I know? I'm _here, _with you." The Governor raised his eyebrow before nodding thoughtfully.

"I suppose you're right about Laurent, I knew that was a long shot." He told me, evenly. "I guess it was more of a test to see where the man's loyalties actually lay." I scoffed.

"Well, they lie with _you _don't worry. If it wasn't for Merle then he would have carried out your orders, _like a good soldier,_ without any problems and we wouldn't be having this conversation." The Governor chuckled a little.

"Yes, Merle was going to be my next question." He regarded me for a moment and I tensed under his scrutiny. His calmness unnerved me. _What was he planning? _"I'm confused at how easily the man's views have been swayed, I didn't see it coming, I will admit. Merle was one of my best men. Laurent too actually." The Governor shrugged as an after thought. "But in one night I've lost them both, thanks to _you._"

"Well, I'm truly _not _sorry about that, I assure you." The Governor chuckled and shrugged.

"Martinez will just have to step up." He replied with a slight smile. The conversation was too easy to be considered normal. _I didn__'__t like it. _"I'd like to know how you came about having so much influence on a man like Merle though. Because I doubt you very much charmed him with your looks. He doesn't seem the kind of man to be swayed by a beautiful woman." I raised an eyebrow.

"We all have our secrets, _you _know that." I countered with a frown. "Take Penny for example." The way his jaw tightened alerted me that I had hit a soft nerve. I paused, not liking the dark expression that fell on the man's face. It wasn't as if I didn't want to upset the man by talking about his recently deceased daughter - _I couldn__'__t care less for his feelings - _though I feared for the brothers' and my own safety if I angered the man before me. All of a sudden he composed himself and the Governor narrowed his eyes as he studied me.

"You haven't met Milton have you?" He asked suddenly. I started a little before shaking my head once. "He's the town's scientist, I suppose. Ever since we secured Woodbury, I've had him working on finding a cure for the infection. He's a smart man with impressive ideas. Though _none_ have succeeded as of yet." There was a thoughtful pause.

"Pretty sure you didn't have a zombie-daughter last time I was with you." I muttered, breaking the silence. The Governor shook his head.

"After you overrun the camp, I led the group to my hometown; to try and see if Penny and my wife were still alive." A pregnant pause. "I brought Penny to Woodbury with me."

"And your wife?" I asked, hesitantly.

"I couldn't find her." The Governor replied before narrowing his eyes again. "I intended to use the cure on Penny, I intended to save my _daughter. _That's why I've done all this. And you and your sister-" He cut himself off, leaning back and observing me with a terrifying expression. "_You _took her from me." I swallowed hard, shaking my head.

"You're telling me that you've raped countless women, tortured many men and women alike, eaten so many survivors for the intention of _curing your daughter?__"_I scoffed. "Don't feed me that crap. You're just a sick bastard and using your daughter as an excuse won't do _anything.__" _I paused, studying the now seething man briefly. "We've all lost someone in this new world, but not _all _of us have turned out like _you._" The Governor smirked.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He muttered and I shrugged, in an attempt of carelessness.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I countered, trying to remain steady as the man's demeanour altered considerably.

"Let's talk about the younger Dixon then." The Governor began and I tensed immediately at the mention of Daryl. I quickly tried to cover up my reaction but the Governor noticed it and his smirk deepened. "You seem mighty friendly with both brothers. Though it seems a small world, huh?" I didn't answer and the Governor studied my reaction. "I guess you can tell they're related, they've both got a temper on them." Another pause. "Though the younger one seems more controlled?" I steadied my breathing. "What's his name again?"

"Daryl." I breathed in reply and the Governor hummed with acknowledgement.

"_Daryl.__" _He nodded. "Yes, he certainly is an interesting character. He's got a lot to say where _you__'__re _concerned." I raised an eyebrow at this, trying to act careless, though inside I was aching at every word. "He's made some very colourful threats against my men if they so much as touch you again. Reckon he's out for blood after he saw you at the arena." The Governor laughed maliciously. "Oh yes, he's _very _protective of you." I forced a smile and shrugged. "Merle's somewhat the same, though his threats don't seem as meaningful. Oh no, it seems that _baby_ brother is the one who cares for _you _the most." A pause as the Governor leaned forward. "Now I wonder which one _you _most care for? I wonder which one's pain will strike you the hardest?" I shook my head once, willing him not to harm _either_ one of the Dixons, let alone the one I _knew _I cared for most of all.

"Please don't." I breathed, all strength and resolve lost. I was practically begging now. "Don't hurt him." The Governor studied me thoughtfully for a moment, a sickening grin on his face. I willed the tears not to break and tried to hold eye contact with the sick man before me. He wasn't one to show your weakness too, though I wasn't doing such a great job at hiding mine at the moment.

"You know what my opinion of _love_ is, Ruby?" He asked, finally. I shook my head in reply after some hesitation. "That it's the most dangerous ammo a man can have against another. Allowing yourself to fall in love, will only make you weaker. _Jessica _is a prime example of this." My heart ached slightly at the mention of Jessica - her death was still a blow to me and I closed my eyes to draw in the tears and compose myself. When I opened them again, the Governor appeared to be waiting for me to control myself before continuing. _How gentleman-like of him, _I thought, bitterly."Your sister made the mistake of falling in love and look where she ended up. She died a coward who betrayed her own blood." He shrugged. "I can't imagine why you're upset over her death, not after what she did to you."

"Because she was still my _sister._" I muttered, exhausted. "That will never change. _You _made her into what she became. I can only pray now that she's in a better place, now that she's away from _your _venom." The Governor scoffed.

"You should gain an award for your sibling loyalty, my dear. Most people would have given up on such a lost hope as Jessica." I shrugged.

"Well, I guess that doesn't make me _most people.__"_ I countered and he nodded in agreement.

"Back to the matter at hand, now that we've swayed quite away from the main topic." The Governor began. "I'd like to know where your group is." I rolled my eyes, tiredly at his request. _When would these people take the hint? _The Governor studied me for a moment before shrugging. "No? Alright well, I thought I might express my concern at some of the members of your group then. During the battle, a man in an almost prison-looking jumpsuit was seen." _"__Prison-looking jumpsuit__"__. Oh God no. _I masked my face from all emotions as he continued. "He wasn't one of our men, so he's obviously yours. Now, I'm quite confused as to why you apparently have an escaped convict amongst your numbers. Is he not a threat to you?" His tone was too careless, too calculated.

It was then, studying the glint behind his eyes, that the observation of this 'man in a prison-looking jumpsuit' had told the Governor a lot more information than I cared to give him. Perhaps this observation had actually cost us gravely? I tried to remain steady, despite the inner turmoil, and merely stared back at the man. If he hadn't already made assumptions, I didn't want to provide him _any _information to make them.

"He's a reformed man, I assure you." I muttered in reply. "An excellant cook too." The Governor didn't speak for a moment, merely tilted his head as he observed me. He seemed to try and delve through my gaze, to get to my mind, my _secrets. _His gaze unnerved me and I couldn't help but shy away slightly. _Perhaps a bad move? _The Governor smirked and resumed his slouched position again.

His demeanour altered from their devilish glint to something much more terrifying, something that sent me ill through to my core. The change was so instant that I was startled for a moment, not liking the way he eyed me up and down, lingering a little bit longer below the neckline than I wanted him to. When he met my gaze again, I felt the dread rush through me.

"You know," He began, his voice suddenly husky. "Now that Jessica isn't alive and here to tell me to 'go easy' on you, that alters my perception on things." A pause, one that sent a terrified shiver through me. "You see, your sister's orders were the only things that kept you from the same treatment as Michonne. But now that your sister is dead-" He trailed off and I began to shake with fear. _Please God no. _"Stand up." His voice was a monotone order. The tears overwhelmed me now and I shook my head in response. His eyes narrowed. "_Stand up.__"_

There was a threat behind his tone and I hesitated before rising slowly to my feet in compliance. Never before had I felt most obliged to become obedient. Never had I been struck with this much terror. I wanted to throw up, I wanted to scream, I wanted to try and run. All I could do though was stand before the man, allowing him to scan his eyes up and down my body, and wait for him to speak. His observing gaze sent me ill.

"Remove the shirt." His next order was one that almost let the first sob out.

I shook my head again, feeling more against abiding _this_ order. I recalled Michonne's treatment and how calmly she had taken it. I wanted to have her strength, her resolve, but I couldn't control the fear that was overflowing and for the first time during my capture, I didn't feel restrained to remain strong for these people. My eyes burned into his, pleading with him to stop, begging him to just beat me senseless instead. Though what I got in return was a darkened expression.

"Remove the shirt." He ordered again and _again _I shook my head. I expected him to perhaps act physically or reiterate his order, but instead he glanced towards the closed door behind him and called; "Bring him in!" Just then the door opened and one of his goons entered, dragging with him a thrashing Daryl. I couldn't help the tearful gasp at the sight of him.

In his short-lived capture, Daryl had obviously taken a hard beating. His face was bloody and scratched, some of his clothes were ripped and he stumbled a little when he was brought into the room. His hands appeared bound behind his back and a cloth gag was tied around his mouth, preventing his muffled words from being heard. The youngest Dixon set eyes on the Governor for a moment, a heavy glare on his face before he noticed my presence in the room. Once he did, his expression altered to one of pain and sincerity. I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly, wanting to say something to him, wanting to apologise and confess so much to the hunter, wanting to rush forward and embrace him - telling him that everything would be alright. _But I couldn__'__t. _Instead I merely stared back, trying to express all I could through my terrified gaze.

"Remove the shirt or I'll remove Daryl's head." The Governor spoke stoically and the man restraining Daryl produced a large knife and held it to the hunter's throat. At the request, Daryl's eyes widened and he turned to me quickly, shaking his head and attempting muffled words. A sob bit my throat and as a thin bead of blood slid down Daryl's throat, I undid the first button. _I would rather endure the Governor__'__s torture than see Daryl hurt. _The fear for my own safety almost evaporated instantly upon the danger of Daryl's.

Daryl screamed through his gag, struggling against the man who held him in vain. His eyes burned into mine as he urged me to stop but I had soon undone the final button and carefully shrugged the shirt from my shoulders, letting it all to the floor. The idea of my almost bare chest made me tense and I avoided eye contact from each man in the room. The humiliation was thick and I hated how the silence drew out as the men observed my body.

"And the bra." The Governor's resounding tones sent Daryl into another frenzy and I closed my eyes, willing to wake from this nightmare. Instead of arguing now though, I reached behind me to unhook the offending item and comply to his wishes. I opened my eyes and glanced briefly at Daryl - attempting to apologise to him with my saddened gaze - before allowing the bra to fall beside my shirt, to which I avoided the hunter's darkening eyes. Now with a completely bare chest, I attempted to cover up, holding my hands over myself in an attempt to keep some decency.

The sound of the Governor's chair scraping caused me to flinch and I glanced terrifyingly at the man as he now stood from his chair. He eyed me evenly before turning to Daryl and his restraint.

"Take him next door." He ordered, carefully. "Make sure he's secure. I want him to _listen _to this." His last comment was sickening and I bit back the sobs as Daryl was pulled from the room. _Don__'__t leave me, _I wanted to beg. Daryl's struggling body battled viciously but the man who held him had the upper strength and dragged him to the door with even ease. Daryl's eyes met mine, his expression one of horror and something else. I stared back, trying to remain strong in that last moment before the door was shut and I was left alone. _With him. _

For a moment, he did nothing. Merely stared at me as I attempted to avoid all eye contact. Then I heard the heavy sounds of his footsteps moving around the table towards me. With each step, I tensed and flinched. I tried to keep my focus on the table top and it's intricate grooves. I tried to think of something else, _anything but this. _

I thought of Sophia, of Carl. Their happy faces as they play with Toby blissfully in the grass compound of the prison. _Our prison. Our home. _I thought of Lori, beautifully pregnant and glowing. I thought of the baby she was carrying and wondered if she's had it already. I wondered if it's a girl or a boy. _Judith or Henry, I wondered? _I thought of Rick holding his newborn baby, of Carl looking at his little sibling for the first time. The family image of the four of them together, so calm and loving one another. An image that I longed to possess one day. I thought of Daryl and his caresses and his protecting nature of me. I thought of all his rare smiles and all the times we've laughed together. I thought of the time we kissed and wondered if perhaps we'd ever get to kiss again-

But suddenly I felt a cold touch lingering on my shoulder, grazing down my back, and I couldn't think of anything else but what was happening in that very moment. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as his touch lowered right down to the bottom of my back and lingered there longer than I wanted. _I shivered. _His breathing sounded close and hoarse, heavy in breath and burned against my neck. I swallowed back the bile as it rose, closing my eyes as his other hand reached out to run through the strands of my hair. _Stop, stop, stop, stop. _I pleaded again and again.

Though I felt him behind me suddenly, his hands running their way up and down my back and shoulders before he took my forearms in his grip. In a strong tug, he had pulled my arms away, exposing my chest, and with one hand he held my wrists together behind my back and I felt truly _trapped. _I felt too terrified to move and couldn't focus on anything else. He brushed my hair aside, freeing my neck, and I hitched a sob as I felt his cool lips press against the skin. With one hand holding my wrists together, I tensed when I felt his other snake sickeningly along my exposed stomach, his touch so cold and unwanted, before slowly moving up towards my chest. I bit my lip, tasting salt against my tongue as the tears cascaded my cheeks, reaching my lips.

After a few horrifying moments, I was suddenly forced down and my face planted against the wooden top of the table. My hands braced the surface, now free from his grip and I grimaced at the sound of him unbuckling his belt. _Stay strong, Ruby, stay strong. _And then-

The door to the room opened with a slamming clatter and I jumped at the noise. The Governor's grip against my hip tightened and I couldn't see who had entered the room though I eased at the pause.

"What do you want?" The Governor demanded through gritted teeth.

"You're needed, Gov." Martinez's voice spoke and I felt myself shake under the Governor's power.

"I'm _busy.__"_ Was his hissed reply. A hesitant pause.

"There's a lot of trouble up here, people are getting agitated. They think another attack is coming. They're demanding answers." Martinez replied and the silence drew out for a moment.

"_Fine.__" _The Governor sighed and I felt myself almost collapse with utter terror and exhaustion when his contact disappeared and I heard him move back around the table. I dared not move and remained still, my breath harsh and uneven. Suddenly though, I was pulled up by my hair and the Governor's face came into view. "I'll be back later to finish this, _don__'__t worry.__" _He muttered, smirking sickeningly, before letting go of his hold on me and walking out the room with a marching stomp. Martinez lingered for a moment, observing the scene he had interrupted and I almost saw pity in the man's eyes before he left too and I was alone again. _Though I was thankful for it. _

Once the door closed, I collapsed onto the floor, curling up inside myself. My skin still burned from his touch and I felt sick at the thought of him touching me, of what he intended to do to me. I wrapped my arms around myself, not bothering to hold back any tears now and freely sobbed. _Humiliation, terror. _In desperation, I rubbed my neck where he'd planted his sickening kisses, attempting to remove them from memory. I tried to do this with the touches on my shoulders and the places I could reach on my back. The memories still lingered though and I crawled tiredly over towards where my shirt and bra had fallen and tried to put them back on again. _To hide myself from him. _

I got as far as the bra, though began to struggle with the sleeves of my shirt - my brain not functioning as it should now - before I heard the sound of the door opening again and I froze in panic. In desperation I tried to struggle into my shirt, to hide my body and shrink into myself again. Footsteps approached me and I dared not to look up at the intruder. _I was scared I__'__d look up and see him back again. _They stopped beside me and boots appeared in the peripheral of my vision. I froze then, staring at them and feeling nothing but terror. _No, no, please no-_

"Ruby?" A voice asked, hesitantly, one so familiar and one that made me start and think for a moment. _I recognised that voice. _Slowly, I raised my gaze as the person crouched down in front of me and couldn't deny the shock when I set my tear-glazed eyes on the man before me.

"Rick?" I breathed, eyeing the man and willing him to be real. He stared back with a look of pure horror and in and instant his hands reached forward. Though he acted so suddenly that I shied away, falling away from his approaching touch. Rick froze at my reaction and his expression hardened before he shook his head.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He urged, softly. "It's me, _Rick. _I would _never _hurt you." I lingered upon ever word, easing myself into the man's presence and began to realise that I _trusted _this man. This man would _not _hurt me. When Rick reached forward again, I flinched but didn't back away. Carefully, Rick straightened out the shirt I had been struggling into and helped me into it again, buttoning it up for me with an expression delved of pure control.

"Are you real?" I breathed, frowning at him. _How had he got here? Surely he couldn__'__t have just walked in? _Rick finished buttoning my shirt for me, to which I noticed his hands were shaking like mine, and he met my gaze before his eyes softened with sadness. He nodded.

"Yes, I'm real." He told me. "And I've come to get you out of here." Carefully, he rose to his feet and brought me up with him as he did. I swayed when I was on my feet again and braced myself against Rick to steady myself. I gripped his shirt, feeling his body beneath it and willed it to be real and not some sick figment of my imagination. "C'mon, let's get you home."

In that moment I didn't care if the Rick before me was real or not. His words rose my spirits and in his presence I felt safe again. Numbly, I nodded and vaguely recalled allowing the man to lead me out of that dingy room. _For good, I hoped. _The rest of it was lost to exhaustion, though somewhere along the way I remembered someone - maybe Rick, _maybe Daryl? _- telling me that everything would be _alright. _

_And I believed them. _

…

I was alone again, when I woke up. _Something I was getting pretty used to now. _Though instead of waking up bound to an uncomfortable wooden chair, I found myself sprawled out across something that seemed a little bit more comfier. At first, I remained still, eyes closed, and merely considered this sensation and wondered if it's a another trick of the Governor's.

At the thought of the man, I shuddered and subconsciously curled into myself. His touches still lingered and burned on my body but above all I was thankful that my endurance didn't step up. _If Martinez hadn__'__t have interrupted it would have done-_

I didn't want to think of that. Instead, I thought of how I hadn't endured that torture that I had anticipated and instead considered my situation again and wondered if Rick and the others were going to come back for us soon.

_-Wait, Rick?! _

My eyes opened almost instantly and I was met with something unusual. It took me a moment to realise that I was curled up on what seemed to be the back seat of a car. One that seemed very familiar now that I thought about it. Slowly, I eyed the interior before me, before raising onto one of my elbows to try and take a look outside. Pressure on a sore area caused me to wince a little and then suddenly there was movement in the car with me and a head poked around the front seat.

"Oh good, you're awake." Andrea beamed. I eyed the woman curiously, _was this a dream? _"I know it's a stupid question but how are you feeling? We've all been worried, you kinda blacked out on us for a moment back there." I didn't reply, merely stared at the smiling woman with apprehension. As my response remained silent, Andrea's smile faded. "Ruby?" Carefully, I sat up, ignoring the pain.

"Where am I?" I asked, breathlessly, memories flooding back to me. "The Governor- he's coming back later! He said he's not finished with me! What is going on-?!" Andrea shushed me quickly, her hands reaching toward me to calm me down. Her touch made me flinch but I soon soothed into it and I stared at her, warily. _Her touch seemed too real to be a part of my imagination. _

"Listen to me, Ruby." She urged, softly. "You're _safe. _You're not in Woodbury anymore. I need you to calm down for me though before you hurt yourself." I eyed the woman before me. _Safe? Not in Woodbury? _It then dawned on me.

"You're- you're real?" I breathed, eyes widening. Andrea nodded slowly and before she could react I had flung my arms around the woman in so much relief. _I was safe, Andrea was real, I wasn__'__t in Woodbury anymore. _I closed my eyes, fighting the tears of happiness from flowing. I had cried far too much already. All at once, the horrific memories of the Governor's torture were drowned out; _I was safe and away from him now. _When I pulled away, Andrea was beaming again, though another thought struck me. "Daryl, Merle-?"

"Outside." She informed me, gently, with a smile. When I opened my mouth to speak, she cut me off again. "They're _fine, _don't worry. It's _you _that everyone's worried about." I nodded once before feeling the overwhelming urge to see people, _to see my family. _As if reading my mind, Andrea turned away to get out the car. She was by my door then and had opened it for me.

I struggled to manoeuvre myself out, my body throbbing with pain. Though Andrea was on hand to aid me out and once my feet hit the steady floor, I began to regain my balance again and I assured Andrea that once I had resumed standing, I could take the rest myself. She backed away, providing me with space as I eased myself back into movement again and stumbled forward, looking around for the others.

The others were stood a little way from the car and appeared to have been in debate about something, though right now they had stopped to observe Andrea and me. There was four of them; Rick, Glenn and both Dixon brothers. I had to pause for a moment, studying each one of them and trying to grasp the idea that I wouldn't wake up any time soon in that same dingy room with the Governor stood over me, realising that this was all just a dream. _A sick nightmare more like. _

Rick was the first to break away from the group, striding towards Andrea and me. I had mastered standing by the time the leader reached me and eased into the hug he engulfed me in, one that was careful from his end - which I was thankful for.

"You came back for me." I whispered into his shoulder, loud enough probably only for Rick to hear. He didn't reply for a moment, merely pulled back and smiled at me.

"We're _all _a family and that's what family does. We take care of one another." He informed me and I smiled tearfully at him. He gave my shoulders one last squeeze before standing aside. Glenn then engulfed me in another hug and I thanked the Korean boy quietly, mildly surprised by his contact. When the boy pulled away, my attention was averted to the Dixon boys who still remained standing a bit away.

Merle appeared to have received a few injuries from the Governor and his group, though looked apparently uncaring about it. He still remained tough looking and stared back at me with a slight smirk on his features. _I wouldn__'__t have had it any other way. _

"Ya one tough bitch, darlin', I'll give ya that." Merle called, nodding appreciatively. "Ya should be proud of my girl, Officer Friendly. She didn't take any of that asshole's shit. Learnt from the best, of course." I raised my eyebrows at the man, noticing the way Rick and Glenn seemed to be glaring at the older Dixon and how arrogant looking Merle appeared in return. _I should have known. _Despite the knowledge that Merle Dixon was going to prove to be a hindrance to the group now, I still grinned at the man with equal joy of seeing him alive.

My attention moved to his younger brother, who appeared motionless beside him. My smile faded when I met his gaze and memories of when I last saw the man flooded back. _Humiliation and terror flooded back to me. _Unconsciously I drew my arms around myself again an action that appeared to have gone unnoticed by the others apart from Daryl and Rick. Daryl's jaw hardened and his eyes burned with loathing - though I knew the loathing wasn't directed at me. The intense hatred behind the man's gaze terrified me for a moment and I shied away glancing at the leader of the group, who was staring at me with a unreadable expression.

I remembered then what Rick had seen, the state Rick had walked in on when he found me. His gaze implored mine for a moment and I knew he had so many questions he wanted to ask, though he shook his head once and I looked away. The intensity behind _his _gaze was much like Daryl's - though the hunter's was much darker. _It seemed both Daryl and Rick had jumped to the same conclusion regarding the Governor__'__s treatment towards me. _And judging by everyone else's equally unmoved expressions, it seemed that only the pair of them knew.

"Where's Michonne?" I asked, quietly, trying to break the silence that was become awkward for me as each second passed. For a moment, I felt terrified for my friend's safety and turned to Andrea in dread. She smiled in reassurance.

"Maggie and Axel took her back so Herschel could check her over." She told me and I sighed in relief, nodding my thanks. _At least Michonne was safe. _At the mention of Axel though, memories came back to me. I turned to Rick again.

"I think he knows." I told the leader, who raised an eyebrow. "They've been questioning us, wanting to know where you guys were. Neither Michonne nor I have told them anything but I think he knows where we are."

"How?" Glenn asked, quietly. I glanced at him then briefly to Merle. Though I trusted the older Dixon, I wasn't sure if blurting out our location was a decision Rick wanted. We were currently out in the open, parked at the side of a long empty road and, I gathered, far away from the prison. I turned back Rick with a questionable expression and the man regarded Merle thoughtfully.

"What's with the look, Officer?" Merle muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm trying to work out if we can _trust _you." Rick replied, coldly, and Merle narrowed his eyes.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!?" Merle cried. "_You _bastards leave me on a roof, to get eaten by a load of geeks, cause me to cut off my own hand 'nd _you__'__re _the ones who got trust issues?!"

"There was reason we handcuffed you to that roof." Rick reminded the man, evenly. "You might be a danger to the group. You're not exactly the kind of man who seems willing to take orders either."

"Unless it's from the Governor." Glenn muttered, glaring at Merle. "How can we even trust that you're not _his _man still?" The man in return glared back and made a move forward. Daryl stepped in front of him though, quickly, and Merle backed off.

"Ya assholes don't know nothin'!" Merle snarled.

"We know that you were in _cahoots_ with a complete psychopath." Andrea countered, hands on hips. Merle's glare turned on her.

"Hey, I didn't know what he was like-"

"Bullshit!" Glenn hissed suddenly. "You knew _exactly _what he was like and you _let _him do _this _to Ruby!" Merle started forward again, his face of thunder. Daryl shoved hard on his brother's chest.

"Lay off!" Daryl muttered, eyeing his brother warningly. Merle pointed a finger towards the Korean boy.

"If it weren't for _me, _Ruby wouldn't be standin' here so ya better shut ya trap, Chinese!"

"I'm Korean." Glenn muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Whatever! Ask Ruby if ya don't believe me!" Eyes fell on me then and I felt obliged to nod numbly.

"He's telling the truth." I breathed, unable to find my voice to say more. Merle laughed triumphantly.

"Ha! See! Ya assholes need to get ya facts straight 'nd lay off the accusations!" Merle countered, his comment directed mostly towards Glenn.

"Well, if you weren't such a jerk then maybe we'd actually believe you." Glenn muttered.

"Yeah, _I__'__m _the jerk!" Merle said, smoothly. "Yeah, I'm the one who leaves people handcuffed to roofs, leave them to die-"

"Oh, give it a rest, Merle!" Daryl cried, suddenly, turning on his brother. Merle in turn stared at Daryl in shock. "Ya got yourself handcuffed up there because ya were bein' an ass! Ain't anyone else's fault but ya own. We came back for ya but ya were already gone. What the hell were we supposed to do, huh? Search Atlanta for ya? _You _were the one who _left!__"_

"Ya takin' _their _side on this?!" Merle snarled, stepping dangerously towards his brother. I noticed Rick and Glenn reach towards their respective weapons subtly. "They ain't ya kin, man! They ain't ya blood!"

"Yeah, well, my _kin, _my _blood, _left me behind!" Daryl retorted. "Why do ya gotta make everythin' so difficult? Why can't ya just step back 'nd _think?!__"_

"Think 'bout what, Baby brother?" Merle asked, frowning. "Think 'bout how thankful I am that ya pal, Rick, came to save me? Man, if ya hadn't been kept in the same room of me, I would 'ave been left behind. These people ya keep defendin', they don't give a damn 'bout _me, _little brother-"

"'Nd you don't give a damn 'bout them!" Daryl countered. Each brother was seething and I noticed the way both pairs of fists had been curled up dangerously. I swallowed hard, wondering if a physical confrontation between the Dixon brothers was really needed right now. Apparently Andrea was thinking the same thing.

"Can't you have your domestic another time?" She muttered, cutting in any reply Merle was going to say. "We've got other things to worry about right now." Her statement reminded me of what I needed to tell the group and I turned to Rick again.

"Are we taking him with us, Rick?" I asked. Merle scoffed.

"Don't I get a choice in this?" He hollered.

"Shut up." Daryl muttered. Rick remained thoughtful for a moment, eyeing the older Dixon with scrutiny.

"If we let you come back with us, you listen to _our _rules." Rick ordered, sternly. "You're going to be kept under guard at all times and you don't go _anywhere _alone. Understand?" Merle rolled his eyes.

"Jesus, ya startin' to remind me of the days I went to prison, man!" Merle muttered, not understanding how close to the truth his statement was.

"If you come back with us, that means you fight _with _us too." Rick added, evenly. "_Against _the Governor." At this, Merle smiled.

"Officer, _that's_ the part of this arrangement that I _agree _with." Merle replied with a smirk. "I call first dibs on the bastard."

"Get in line." Daryl muttered, earning himself an easy smirk from his brother, which he returned - a contrast to the pair squaring up against each other a few moments earlier.

"So, you understand our terms?" Rick demanded, firmly. Merle sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll happily play prisoner!" I raised an eyebrow when Rick glanced my way and the man sighed and nodded. _So Merle would be trusted for now, it seemed. _

"The Governor mentioned that he saw someone in a prison jumpsuit." I explained, quickly. "He tried to question me on it, asked me if we had an escaped convict in our group. But I think he _knows, _Rick." The leader nodded, a disheartened look on his face.

"This is why we should have left Axel _behind.__" _Andrea muttered, folding her arms across her chest. _So Axel was the offender in the jumpsuit - though it obviously was an unintentional mistake on the man__'__s behalf. _Not one we'd hold against him?

"We have to head back, prepare for an attack." Rick ordered. He hesitantly glanced at Merle, his gaze still wary, before stating that we go _now. _To which we were all bundled into the familiarly horrible looking Hyundai. _One that I was so very glad to see though. _

Rick drove us back, his speed worryingly fast, though no one commented on it. I winced at each sharp corner, my wounds pulling on me, and Rick would throw apologises back to me whenever my groans reached his ears. Andrea, who was sat beside me, would send me worried glanced every now and again, to which I'd assure her I was fine. Rick stated I'd be taken to see Herschel as soon as we returned home, to get checked out.

"'Nd where exactly is _home, _Officer?" Merle called from the back, where he and Daryl were seated together. Instead of replying, Rick rounded a corner and the prison came into full view. I remained in awe for a moment, completely overwhelmed with the sight of the prison again. _I couldn__'__t express the happiness I felt for seeing it again. _"Well, shit." Merle muttered in the back and the man fell silent for a long time afterwards.

Sasha and Axel were on hand to open the gates for our approaching vehicle and Rick continued through the compounds until we reached the yard, to which he pulled the car to a halt. Andrea helped me out the car and remained with me until I had gathered my balance. When I had steadied myself though, a small figure collided into me and instead of caring about the pain, the only thing I could feel was overwhelming joy as a familiar little girl cried into my shirt.

"I was so scared!" Sophia cried and I willed the tears to remain hidden. "I thought you wouldn't come back!" I stroked her hair, trying to soothe her tears.

"I promised I'd never leave you, darling." I replied, quietly. "I will _always _come back."

The next to approach me was Tyreese and Sasha, the siblings taking it in turns to greet me again. Axel muffled a 'welcome back' to which I beamed at the man in thanks. Carl hugged my middle, much like Sophia had done, before taking the little girl's hand in his and smiling up at me.

"I took care of her for you, while you were gone." He told me, proudly, and I beamed at the little boy as he peered up at me from under his sheriff's hat. I met his father's gaze, who smiled at me in return then, and I thanked the boy for taking care of Sophia in my absence.

Then suddenly, an unusual noise caught my attention.

_A cry. _

_A baby__'__s cry to be exact. _

Approaching the group was Maggie, a bundle of blankets in her arms. She was smiling down at the bundle with a fond smile, whispering words to it that didn't reach our ears. She glanced up as she neared, smiling a little at me. Slowly, unsure, I approached the woman and met her half way. Carefully, she brushed the blankets aside a little to reveal it's contents.

_A baby. _Staring up at me with unfathomably large eyes, so innocent to everything going on around it. It seemed to be a physical being of perfection and I stared in awe at the little infant in the Greene daughter's arms. The baby murmured a little, flailing its little hands out and hitting Maggie gently on the chin.

"She's gonna grow up to be a lil ass kicker." A voice murmured from beside me and I glanced up to see Daryl staring down at the child. _I didn__'__t even hear him approach. _

"She?" I asked, still staring at Daryl. He met my gaze then and his eyebrows burrowed. _There was so many things he seemed to want to say. _Though right now didn't seem appropriate. Instead, I smiled softly at the man and he nodded once in return.

"Her name's Judith." Maggie told me and I turned back to the girl with a smile. _Judith. Just like Lori wanted. Wait-_

"Where is Lori?"

* * *

_(Author's Note): I haven't had chance to look this chapter over thoroughly so apologises for any mistake. I'm currently going through each and every chapter and trying to alter all my mistakes - doing a bit of house-keeping ;) So I'm sorry if updates are a little thin in between! _

_I hope this chapter came out alright, I'm a bit wary of it. Especially with the Ruby/Governor incident. And how Merle is acting in this chapter. And Daryl. God I'm just hesitant about everything! What I will ask though of you guys - do you want Lori to be alive? Of course, I've left it to go either way and I've got both ideas planned, I'm just interested to see which way you guys will sway! _

_Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot! Please tell me what you think of this chapter! :) _


	41. Chapter Forty

_Chapter Forty_

There was a level of uncertainty in the air as the group walked into the prison, to Cell Block A. Rick has ordered everyone back to the cell block, so I could get some medical attention and so _everyone _would be together to discuss the way forward. _Though whether or not everyone would be there, was the question on my mind. _

Due to my injuries, I found it difficult to walk and therefore limped the way back, usually reaching out to grasp some support from the others; usually one of the Dixon brothers.

Through the brief greetings, I was surprised that the older Dixon had behaved so well, barely spoke a word in fact. I had expected colourful greetings and abusive slurs from the man, but when I glanced up at his face, Merle had a thoughtful scowl on his features. When I turned to Daryl, he had a similar expression too. The younger Dixon appeared to avoid my gaze at all costs, though flinched every time I unintentionally reached for him, to stop myself from stumbling. Every time I would give an apology and would receive a grunt of acknowledgement in return. I couldn't deny that the action of this disheartened me, that Daryl seemed adamant to remain 'neutral' with me after everything that had happened. _What did I expect though? _Once or twice, I had caught Merle witnessing these interactions with a curious expression, one that was gone in a split second before I could fathom it.

I glanced around the corridors of the prison as we neared the cell block and couldn't help but smile at the sight of them, despite their grimy-dingy appearance. _They were home after all. _I would take the prison and all it's glory than the dingy room in Woodbury any day.

The memories of Woodbury made me suddenly shudder and I repressed the urge to rub at my skin again, in the places the Governor had touched. The moment I thought about it again, the feeling of burning came back. It made me sick to the stomach to think of that man though I quickly hid my disgust when the cell block door came into sight. The anticipation of seeing _home _again overwhelmed me.

Sophia rushed to me, taking my hand in hers and leading me towards the door - _almost as if I had forgotten where it was. _I couldn't suppress the smile that crept onto my face as we entered the cell block and I was in awe for a few moments. It was Cell Block A, just as I remembered it with nothing out of place, but the time I had spent away from here made me truly appreciate the importance of this cell block, of _home. _It may have been a matter of days that I had spent in Woodbury, but it felt like a lifetime's worth of pain and I would be forever have the horrific memories. For now though, I could be satisfied that I was _alive _and back where I belonged again, with those I loved around me.

The first sight I saw as I observed the cell block was a figure sat on one of the benches in the communal area, a familiar German Shepherd at their feet. Sophia smiled up at me before letting go of my hand to stand beside Carl again and I took this moment to stumble towards the figure on the bench, who stood up to greet me.

I was surprised at first when Michonne's arms returned the hug, but the desperation in the embrace - no matter how subtle it seemed - was a justification as to Michonne's unusual compliance with contact. _She _had suffered at the hands of the Governor, more than I could probably imagine. Though exteriorly, Michonne remained strong and I knew the woman wouldn't allow people to see her weakness, _I knew _that not even someone like Michonne could get over her torment so easily. She was strong though and I knew that if anyone could recover from this, it would be her. Reliving my own experience, I almost felt ashamed of acting so weakly at his hands, when Michonne had remained so defiant. _Perhaps I was weak after all? _

"Did those assholes do this to you?" Michonne asked, holding my face between her hands so she could study my various bruises and battering. I winced a shrug.

"I'm Ruby the Punch Bag, apparently." I replied, lightly, which caused the woman to scowl.

I observed the woman then and noted that she had altered considerably since I had last seen her. She clearly hadn't taken the same amount of physical beatings as I had and her only clear injuries were the bandages around her wrists where she had been bound. She had a change of clothes and looked as though she had washed too, so anything else that I had seen last time had been washed away. Michonne was free from blood and bruises. Out of the two of us, I probably seemed the one who had sustained the most injuries. Which physically may have been true, _though emotionally I didn__'__t count on. _

"How are you?" I asked, carefully. _A stupid question, but one that felt needed to be asked. _Michonne exhaled deeply, glancing over my shoulder at the others before turning back to me.

"Your people have been taking good care of me." She confessed. "Toby has barely left my sight since I got here." She glanced at the dog, at our feet. "Seems he still remembers me." Michonne shrugged and I didn't let the fact she had avoided the question slide. Nethertheless, I nodded and numbly ran my hand along Toby's nose.

"I can't believe ya still got that damn mutt!" A voice called and I glanced over my shoulder to see Merle walking over, the others observing the interaction with caution.

To them, Merle and Michonne were strangers (perhaps the former not so much, but he still was regarded with suspicion) though I tried to ignore the looks and focus the interaction at hand. Merle roughly patted Toby with his only hand, crouching down so he was eye level with the dog. A brief thought crossed my mind when I realised that right now, both Merle _and _Michonne stood before me - alive and well. This was something I had imagined in my wishful thinking, I didn't know what to think to it going on before me.

"He went back for Ruby," Michonne told him. "Guess he didn't like our company very much." Merle sniggered.

"A smart dog then, I'd say. How long did we last together, Micky?" Merle asked, glancing up at the woman. "A few days before we split? The mutt did the smart thing 'nd got out while he could! Probably didn't wanna put up with ya moanin' any longer." Merle met my gaze. "Ya know what I'm takin' 'bout don't ya, girl? Ol' Micky's got a knack for chattin' bullshit 'nd thinkin' we care, hasn't she?" Michonne raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"At least when _I _moan, I moan _coherently _and not in _your_ redneck slur. Though I'm not surprised, I suppose. Did you even finish school?" Michonne countered. Judging by the other's faces, they seemed surprised by Michonne's comment and I noticed the subtle reach for weapons as they waited for the older Dixon's reaction. I smiled slightly, turning back to my friends and not in the bit surprised when Merle let out a hearty laugh and rose to his feet.

"Good to have ya back, Micky." Merle smirked, holding his hand out to Michonne as a friendly gesture.

There was a hesitation as Michonne stared down at it before she pushed it aside and wrapped her arms around the man, embracing him in a hug. _I _was stunned by this, though probably not as stunned when the man didn't shove her away. He didn't embrace her in return, but Merle didn't seem like the kind of man to allow this sort of contact to go on without acting harshly. Remembering though that Merle knew about Michonne's ordeal, I wondered if perhaps the man was acting soft towards her because of this.

"Herschel has looked over her," Rick announced, getting my attention. I turned away from my two friends, towards the others. He glanced awkwardly at Merle and Michonne before turning back to me. "Nothing serious, but he's going to keep an eye on her and make sure she's alright." I nodded my thanks, knowing it must have been hard for them to accept her when they initially considered her as a traitor. "We've come to a decision with her too, that as long as she behaves herself and is willing to be guarded until we trust her, then she can stay here." I widened my eyes at this, glancing over my shoulder at Michonne, who smiled slightly when I met her gaze.

"I've agreed to it." Michonne informed me and I was relieved that Michonne would be sticking around. _I had just found her, after all. _

"Thank you." I said to Rick, taking note of the strained smile he sent in return. The leader observed me for a few thoughtful moments before clearing his throat loudly.

"We need to get you to Herschel, get you looked at." Rick told me, and I nodded once, knowing I couldn't argue with this request. "Everyone stays here until Ruby's been looked over." Rick glanced around, meeting Glenn's eyes and nodding once. "You're in charge."

The Korean boy nodded with understanding. Rick turned to Maggie, who held his sleeping daughter in her arms, and smiled warmly down at the bundle that was _his. _I studied his expression, one divided with nothing but love and admiration, and was overwhelmed for a second at its intensity. Then Rick turned back to me and gestured to the stairs. I understood what he meant and carefully made my way over to them, Rick waiting beside them to let me up first.

Once I reached the first step, I struggled initially but soon got myself into a somewhat uncomfortable method. Rick followed behind slowly, probably incase I didn't fall.

"Where ya goin', Baby Brother?" Merle's hollering voice asked from below. Rick and I had reached the top and were making our way across the landing when Merle's voice rang out. Glancing down below, I noticed most had seated themselves on the benches as they waited, though a figure suddenly came bounding up the stairs behind Rick and I, apparently not wanting to wait below with the others. Daryl met Rick's gaze and the leader nodded once, before Rick urged me to continue along the landing. Daryl trailed behind and I was curious as to why he had decided to join us, though I decided against complaining.

Rick led me towards the security room, where I had gathered Herschel was in. The door was shut initially and Rick knocked briefly before opening the door slowly, smiling at someone inside. I followed after him at my delayed speed and was startled at the sight before me.

All of the medical supplies we had gathered were all rounded together on a table beside the couch at the back. On the floor, lay various disused bandages, bottles and other equipment, which seemed to have been thrown about in a rush. A pile of bloodied towels lay in a cardboard box near the door, which confused me at first, but then make sense when I took in the figure lying on the couch.

Lori's eyes were closed, though I took in the gentle rise and fall of her chest and I knew that she was alive - _a sigh of relief. _Her skin was pale white, a sickly colour in fact, and her dark locks lay sprawled on the pillow her head rested on, seemingly soaked - from sweat perhaps? When I entered the room further, truly seeing Lori's body, I saw the shudder each time she inhaled breath and couldn't help but feel wary at the sight of her. _Yes, she was alive, but she didn__'__t look well at all. _

"She's just fallen to sleep." Herschel announced quietly, from his chair beside the couch. His hand was in Lori's and he patted it before gently placing it beside her carefully. I looked over her body, noticing her shirt had been pulled up, exposing lower torso, and a white bandage was around her stomach. I glanced back at the bandages on the floor, taking in the blood on them and realised that they were the _used _ones. Apparently I had missed the fuss of birth in my absence.

"How is she?" Rick asked, hesitantly. Herschel observed Lori thoughtfully before nodding slowly.

"She's over the worst part now and I'd say that the caesarean went almost perfectly, under our harsh circumstances." Herschel told the man. "It'll take a bit of time before she can fully move and walk on her own, but if she rests enough and doesn't put too much strain on her wound, then I think she'll be fine. This is the first time she's rested since Judith was born. She was so exhausted. This is what she needs right now." I saw the smile of relief on Rick's face and I personally felt relieved hearing the news; _she__'__ll be alright. _Herschel's eyes turned to me and his eyebrows burrowed.

"Can you look over Ruby?" Rick asked, unnecessarily, as Herschel had already gotten to his feet and was making his way over.

"Did everyone else return back with you?" Herschel asked the leader carefully. Rick nodded.

"Daryl's brother, Merle, has come back too. He was part of the Governor's group." Rick explained. "He helped Ruby and Michonne escape though and I'm giving him the trial to prove himself." Herschel nodded thoughtfully, glancing at the younger Dixon who remained silent beside me.

"Well, I look forward to meeting him." Herschel stated, with not a hint of sarcasm. Daryl still didn't say anything, even when the old farmer smiled his way. He merely remained stoic. "Take a seat, dear, and we'll have a look at you." Herschel said, gesturing to the chair in front of the monitors. I obliged, staggering over and carefully lowering myself onto the chair. I noticed Herschel's burrowed eyebrows at my expression of pain and the old man sighed. "Those people, did they do this to you?" I nodded, unable to find my voice suddenly. Herschel's face pursed together. "And they are responsible for what happened to Michonne too?" I nodded numbly again and Herschel's eyes narrowed.

"We're dealing with some _sick_ people, Herschel." Rick muttered, walking over and taking the seat Herschel had just vacated, beside Lori. He took his wife's hand, ran a hand gently across her forehead before sighing. Lori stirred a little in her slumber but otherwise didn't wake.

"I don't doubt that, Rick." Herschel agreed, crouching down and taking my chin gently in his hand, observing my face with a frown. "Though I think the most important thing is that you're here with us now, Ruby. It's good to have you back." I smiled briefly, but remained silent at his comment.

Herschel continued his examination, which at first was met with a silent room. Rick remained by his wife, sparing glances between my look-over and Lori's still form. Daryl stood by the doorway, having closed the door, and leant back against the wall. His arms were folded and his stare remained fixed on the wall opposite him, never swaying at all, his expression hard. The occasional murmurs were heard from Herschel as he noted my various injuries down and as Rick talked quietly to his sleeping wife. Suddenly though the old man sighed loudly and paused in his examination.

"Can you give me a full account on what they did to you, Ruby?" Herschel asked, slowly. I froze for a moment, initially unwilling to spare any detail as to what happened in Woodbury. _Not after all the memories kept flooding back to me now. _Rick's head had turned fully towards us now, as had Daryl's, I noted. "If you do not wish to share it with us, then I respect that, though it will be a lot easier for me if you told me _exactly _what they did."

"We'll leave if you want-" Rick tried to suggest, though I shook my head once. _What was the point of hiding it when it would only be brought up again later? _

"You might as well stay." I muttered, shrugging, before averting my eyes to the floor. "We were ambushed on the run for supplies that was meant for medical supplies for Lori." I began, deciding to replay from the start, unsure on how much Michonne had told them - if she had told them anything. "We had gathered a lot from a pharmacy story and a supermarket and were about to head back when my sister - Jessica - turned up."

"Your _sister?_" Rick cut in and I nodded slowly, trying to push away the images of my _dead_ baby sister. "The one who stayed with the Governor when you escaped with Merle and Michonne?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "At first, I couldn't believe that she was there, I was so overwhelmed with seeing her. Michonne tried to warn me but I didn't listen." I shook my head at my own stupidity. "It was my fault, I should have realised something was going on." I glanced up briefly to meet Rick's eyes across the room. "I mentioned that I was with a group, I just didn't think, and all of a sudden two men just came out of no where and knocked Michonne and I out. The next thing we knew, we had woken up in Woodbury." I swallowed down the images of that town, trying to push away the memories. "It was _my_ fault, what happened. I should have known something was wrong, I shouldn't have said anything! And now they're coming and it's all because of me and-"

"Ruby, calm down." Herschel soothed when my voice rose to hysterics. "Now, don't go thinking like that, it wasn't your fault."

"There's only one person to blame for this." Rick added.

"And that's this Governor fellow." Herschel nodded, reaching forward to place a steady hand on my bruised cheek, careful not to apply too much pressure. "Do _not _blame yourself, dear." Though I couldn't really bring myself to believe them, I nodded regardless. _After all, if I hadn__'__t have mentioned __'__a group__'__ then they Governor wouldn__'__t have been so curious to know. _He could have _just_ assumed it was Michonne and I.

"He questioned us both about your whereabouts." I carried on. "But I didn't tell them anything and I can't imagine Michonne would have either. Though they didn't take too kindly to our lack of cooperation." I sighed, knowing my bruises explained themselves.

"Was it mostly to your face?" Herschel asked, gently tilting my head to examine the damage. I nodded.

"_Mostly. _Though I did take a few to my upper body too." I muttered and Herschel raised an eyebrow.

"Can you exhale and inhale deeply and slowly for me please, Ruby?" I did as I was asked. "Did that hurt at all?"

"A little, but not a lot. I mostly just ache now." I confessed and Herschel nodded before asking for me to stand so he could check the injuries sustained to my torso.

The examination grew quite tiresome and was painful, despite Herschel's careful touch. He examined my arms, the back of my head; which he had grown quite worried over when I told him I had taken two gun strikes to there. Thankfully, the bruising on my way, despite their gruesome appearance, were nothing to be greatly worried about. The bruising would die down after a while and while I may be left with some scars, I couldn't say I was too bothered about this. Herschel expressed his concern for my nose and jaw, which he suspected may have sustained a lot of damage. Upon examination, he muttered that my nose was most likely fractured. My jaw seemed intact, thankfully, just _sore. _

"My nose seems to take a lost of beatings, doesn't it, Doc?" I muttered. _This was the third time my nose had become an issue__…_Herschel looked at me, disapprovingly.

"I don't think it's broken." He told me. "Which I would consider very lucky after everything you've been through."

"I've got one tough nose, obviously." I murmured and Herschel smiled slightly.

"Clearly." He agreed, gently moving my nose. I winced slightly, but the pain wasn't so bad. I told Herschel this and he nodded slowly. "I think it'll be fine, just try not to take any more damage it for a while, until it's had time to heal." I scoffed.

"I'm not looking for any more beatings, don't worry! I've had enough to last a _long _time and some time after that." I replied and Herschel narrowed his eyes slightly, apparently not liking my humour.

"I'm going to need to take a look at your ribs now, Ruby." Herschel told me, slowly, eyeing me carefully. "I need to see if there's any bruising and feel for anything that may have broken." A hesitant pause. "But I'll need you lift your shirt up for me, please."

_Remove the shirt. Remove the shirt or I__'__ll remove Daryl__'__s head. And the bra. _

_His cold touch lingering on my shoulder, grazing down my back._

_His touch lowered right down to the bottom of my back and lingered there longer than I wanted. I shivered. His breathing sounded close and hoarse, heavy in breath and burned against my neck._

_His hands running their way up and down my back and shoulders before he took my forearms in his grip. In a strong tug, he had pulled my arms away, exposing my chest, and with one hand he held my wrists together behind my back and I felt truly trapped_

_He brushed my hair aside, freeing my neck, and I hitched a sob as I felt his cool lips press against the skin. With one hand holding my wrists together, I tensed when I felt his other snake sickeningly along my exposed stomach, his touch so cold and unwanted, before slowly moving up towards my chest._

_The sound of him unbuckling his belt-_

"Ruby?" Herschel's gentle tones urged me away from reliving the horrific memories. I focused on the man in front of me, who was observing me with a concerned expression as were the other two men in the room. I hadn't realised I was shaking into I looked down at my hand. "Ruby, are you alright?" I nodded numbly. "Did you hear what I said?" I swallowed hard. _Of course I had. _

"Herschel, are you sure you need to-?" Rick trailed off, not really finding words to say. Herschel glanced over his shoulder at the man and I noted the look between them but didn't think much of it. _The nightmares were still thick in my mind. _

"Would you prefer it if Rick examined your ribs instead of me?" Herschel suggested, turning to me with an understanding expression, one that didn't help at all. Without thinking, I shook my head. _"I'm not going to hurt you." He urged, softly. "It's me, Rick. I would _never_ hurt you." _For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to believe those words now. "Daryl?" _Daryl's eyes met mine, his expression one of horror and something else. I stared back, trying to remain strong in that last moment before the door was shut and I was left alone. _With him. I shook my head again.

"Don't reckon she wants any _man _lookin' at 'er." Daryl muttered, his voice startling me suddenly. I didn't look up at the man, merely stared down at my trembling hands.

"How about Maggie?" Herschel suggested, softly. I considered this for a moment, weighing up the numbing pain in my chest and nodded slowly. The door opened then and Daryl's shouts for Maggie startled me.

I looked up and met Herschel's eyes briefly, noting the intensity behind them and quickly shied away. _He knew. _I felt sick again and unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. In response, Herschel stood up and backed away, providing me with some space. Soon the Greene daughter appeared at the door, baby-less.

"Andrea is looking after Judith." She explained, stepping inside and moving towards her father. Rick nodded in thanks, smiling briefly. "You need me, Daddy?" Herschel nodded.

"I need you to examine Ruby's ribs, check for bruising and see if there's any broken." Herschel told her. Maggie glanced at me briefly.

"Wouldn't it be best if _you _did it?" She asked carefully. Instead of providing a verbal response, Herschel shook his head once and walked over to Rick and Lori, bending down beside the unconscious woman to check her temperature. Maggie remained confused for a moment before meeting my gaze. Instead of questioning it anymore, the Greene daughter stepped forward and smiled. "You mind lifting your top up for me, Ruby? I'll be real quick."

I hesitated but decidedly felt more at ease with Maggie's request. I obliged, slowly lifting the hem of my shirt until Maggie said so. Her cool hands began to press gently against my ribs and I stared blankly at the wall opposite, biting my lip as hard as I could. _Urging myself not to think about it. _

"We got some bruising, Daddy, but I don't think anything is broken." Maggie said, after what seemed to be an hour's examination; _probably just my exaggeration though. _She smiled up at me and said I could straighten out my shirt again. I did so quickly, relishing being covered up again and Herschel rose and took that as he cue to return.

"Thank you, Maggie." Herschel smiled his daughter. The Greene daughter took her leave, stating that she didn't want to leave Judith with Andrea much longer as the blonde seemed displeased to have a baby thrust on her, and Maggie disappeared again. Herschel sighed loudly. "It seems that while you've taken a sustainable amount of bruising, you've pulled through without anything too serious it seems but obviously I can't be sure without complete medical equipment. But as we have no access to that, we'll just have to make do. I'd recommend you take it easy though, Ruby. Try to get as much rest as you can, eat and drink plenty. Don't strain yourself more than necessary." I nodded slowly, though I noticed to odd look in Herschel's eyes. "Now, is there anything else that happened in Woodbury that you wish to mention?"

I started, merely staring back at the man with wide eyes. Quickly, I composed myself but could not answer for a moment. Rick's eyes implored mine, something behind them that was a look of desperation and pain. I quickly averted my gaze and glanced at the remaining man of the room. Daryl gazed at me with dark eyes and seemed tense and almost stone like. The intensity behind his look made me shiver and I turned back to Herschel, shaking my head.

"No, there's nothing else." I murmured, hoping that my gaze displayed nothing. Herschel exhaled deeply and shook his head once.

"Ruby-" He was cut off though by a low groan in the room. All eyes turned to the figure on the couch, who stirred suddenly. Rick glanced frantically at his wife then to Herschel and myself, seemingly conflicted. Herschel turned to me, raising an eyebrow in reiteration to his former question. I shook my head again and the old man sighed. "Daryl, can you take Ruby to get some rest please?" The hunter nodded, opening the door. "If there's anything else you wish to say or if you're concerned about _anything, _do not hesitate in asking me, my dear." Herschel urged, eyeing me carefully. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"I will." I promised, quietly, straining to keep the smile up. Herschel patted my arm gently, though missed the flinch I made at his touch, and made his way toward Rick and Lori, the latter apparently in some sort of discomfort. When I turned to Daryl, judging by the man's expression I realised he _hadn__'__t _missed my unintentional flinch, though he said nothing of it.

Daryl walked me to my cell, one that I couldn't help gush a smile at seeing again. I staggered inside and all but collapsed on the bed, laughing as I did. The warmth of the blanket was something so intensely wonderful that I was in awe for a moment as something so simple as the bed sheets. I sat up, eyeing the cell around me and all but forgetting the man at the door, too caught up with my revelation that I was actually _home _again.

When the dawning finally took its effect, I then remembered Daryl's presence and turned to look at the man in the doorway. He had his arms folded tightly across his chest, with a stern look on his face. There was a moment of silence between us and I realised that perhaps _now _was the time for discussion.

"I've not really had the chance to ask how _you _are yet." I began, softly, before eyeing the man's various cuts and bruises. "You sure you don't think Herschel should take a look at you?"

"I'm fine." Daryl replied, quietly, his tone definite. I nodded slowly, knowing that Daryl wouldn't heed into any of my urges. I studied him for a moment before swallowing down my fear and sighing.

"I'm sorry for lying to you." I began, noticing the way Daryl frowned at this. I ploughed on regardless. "I know I should have told you where I was going, but I wasn't thinking straight. I saw Michonne on the monitors and I didn't want to cause a lot of fuss. Plus, I knew you guys wouldn't have wanted me to go so I just thought-" I trailed off and paused. "I'm sorry, Daryl." The hunter shook his head.

"Ya ain't gotta be sorry for that, no more." He told me, firmly. "That was _my _fault, I overreacted. Guess, it's _me _that should be sorry, not you. Girl, ya ain't got anythin' to be sorry for." I smiled slightly.

"Suppose it's not everyday I get a _Dixon _saying sorry to me." I attempted lightly, though it seemed too forced to be real. Daryl frowned.

"Suppose it ain't everyday that ya get kidnapped by a psycho asshole." He counted, bitterly, and the tension rose considerably the air. I felt shunned by his gaze, though Daryl seemed to remain strong and stubborn. "It's my fault, should have gone with ya."

"You can't honestly be blaming yourself?" I asked in disbelief.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted ya friend!"

"It isn't Michonne's fault."

"She's the one who led ya off!"

"Yes but she got taken too." I reminded him, quietly. Daryl appeared to be seething. "And Michonne suffered a lot more than I did." Daryl scoffed, eyeing me darkly.

"She comes out unscathed while ya come out lookin' like shit 'nd ya tellin' me that's it's _her _that's suffered the most?!" Daryl hissed. I nodded.

"You can't _see_ Michonne's injuries." The silence that followed my statement said it all and I noticed the way Daryl suddenly grew more agitated, now taking to pacing in front of me. I saw his fists clenched and he looked as if he was ready to kill. I swallowed hard before continuing. "Are we going to talk about what happened?" Daryl stopped his pacing suddenly and turned to me, his expression terrifying for a moment.

"Ya mean 'bout what he did to ya?" Daryl asked, quietly. His voice sounded much more fearful that it would have done if he were shouting. "Girl, I promise ya now, I'm gonna rip that bastard to shreds for what he did to ya."

"He didn't-" I hesitated. "He didn't _do _anything." I breathed, looking down at my hands and observing the tremble in them again. "He made me remove my shirt. My bra. With you in the room." I grimaced and closed my eyes, only seeing the images of what happened and feeling his touch burning me again.

"'Nd what 'bout when I left?" Daryl urged, his voice suddenly soft. I shook my head once, knowing the state Daryl's mind must have been in.

"He didn't _rape _me." I muttered, glancing up to see Daryl flinch at the words and running a shaking hand through his hair. The silence continued as we merely stared at each other, taking in the confession. Finally, Daryl fell back against the wall and slid down it until he was sat on the floor. He seemed exhausted though after he had heard the truth, he seemed much more relaxed.

"So, he didn't-?" I shook my head.

"No, he didn't." Daryl closed his eyes and exhaled deeply through his nose. I bit my lip, decidedly keeping the fact he still _touched _me to myself. _Daryl didn__'__t need to know that. _"I think it was all for show, to be honest. Just to see if one of us would crack. He wouldn't have carried out for real." _Lies. _I internally scoffed at myself. Here I was, trembling with undecided fear, comforting Daryl with false facts, assuring the man before me that _everything was fine. _When it infact wasn't.

"Ya shouldn't have done what he wanted." Daryl muttered suddenly, opening his eyes. I raised an eyebrow. "Takin' off ya-" He trailed off and I nodded to assure him I knew what he meant. "Ya should have just told him to go to hell."

"Then he would have hurt _you_." I breathed, suddenly feeling the urge to cry. I fumbled aimlessly with my hands, exploring Daryl's gaze as the hunter stared at me.

"So?" Daryl muttered, swallowing. I scoffed weakly, shaking my head and sniffing loudly. Fighting against the tears.

"I couldn't let anything happen to you, Daryl." I replied, my voice thick. "Besides Sophia, you're probably the most important person in my life. I could _not _let them hurt you because of me." Daryl hesitated, his face scrunching up with despair and vulnerability that just made my heart ache.

"What 'bout Michonne?" He tried. "Merle?" I smiled weakly. _He seemed so adamant to disregard himself and his importance. _He didn't truly understand how much the group needed him, how much _I _needed him. I shrugged.

"Having not seen either of them in just under a year, I can't really say much for them." I admitted. It was true, despite my happiness to see them again, it had been _so long. Would things just return to normal between us now or had wounds been made in the absence? _"But _you.__"_A pause. "You've been there for me, protected me, _put up _with me. You know, I wonder why you've tolerated me for so long because I'm not exactly the easiest of people to get on with. And plus I'm probably quite boring to you-"

"Ya ain't." Daryl cut in, shaking his head. He hesitated before shifting uncomfortably, looking down at his feet briefly. "What 'bout ya sister?" My pain ached at the mention of her and I chewed my lip thoughtfully.

"Dead." I muttered, noting the way Daryl's eyes widened slightly.

"I'm sorry." He returned and I shrugged.

"It's done now." Was all I said on the matter, not wanting to think of Jessica any longer. She was _dead. Gone. _She had long given up on me and I her. We didn't end as _sisters, _despite starting off in this new world as that. I couldn't deny the pain I felt for her betrayals, but was glad that we had had that final confrontation before the end. I _understood _now, could finally get on without holding out for her. It seemed that the _real _Jessica had died long before now, perhaps had died with the rest of the world? _Much like Shane had? _

"Didn't realise that Merle saved ya." Daryl muttered, suddenly, apparently wanting to keep the conversation going. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"There's good in your brother, despite his denial. He came to the rescue when the Governor had ordered Laurent to shoot Michonne and I. Promised to get us out of Woodbury, though obviously things got complicated." I shrugged, indifferently. _That was in the past now. _"How'd you get captured?" Daryl hesitated before replying.

"Andrea told us that she had found ya, that Merle was with ya too." He explained. "Said ya had gone back for ya sister 'nd that ya'd meet us outside of Woodbury." Daryl frowned. "Didn't like the idea of leavin' ya both behind. Promised Rick I'd provide cover 'nd before I knew it, I had a gun in my face 'nd some asshole had taken my crossbow." I frowned.

"They took your crossbow?" I cried, astonished. An essence of a smirk fell on Daryl's lips as he nodded. "Those assholes." I agreed in a muttered and Daryl chuckled a little.

"Got it back, don't worry." Daryl assured me. "Got yours 'nd Michonne's too. Though I reckon Rick'll want to hold onto ya friend's sword until he trusts her enough." I nodded, understanding the leader's intentions. In the cell block outside, a baby's cry could be heard. I smiled slightly. "She gave birth the day ya were taken." Daryl explained. "That was why it took so long for us to come get ya, Rick was too caught up with Lori's health 'nd whatever." Daryl frowned at this. "_I _said I'd go get ya without him, but Rick wanted to come too, ordered me to stay in the cell block. Had me locked in a cell until Judith was born and he was ready to leave." A pause. "Asshole."

"He locked you in a cell?" I muttered with disbelief. Daryl nodded once.

"It was for the best I guess. Said it wouldn't be good for me to come after ya alone, said that I wasn't thinkin' straight to go solo." Daryl sighed, knocking his head against the wall behind him and eyeing me evenly.

"Thanks for the gesture anyway, I suppose." I tried, lightly. Daryl nodded once, bringing his thumb to his lip so he could chew it thoughtfully. Voices out in the cell block reached the cell in the silence and above them all, Merle's was the most recognisable. It seemed a weird contrast in the prison, and I wasn't quite used to the man's presence yet. I couldn't comprehend how the dynamics of the group would change now that he was here and when everyone was together. Glancing at Daryl, I took in his thoughtful expression and knew he must be thinking the same. "How are things with you and him?" I asked, knowing Daryl would know who I meant by _him. _Daryl shrugged, meeting my gaze.

"Not easy." He admitted. "But things never are with Merle." I nodded in agreement. With a sigh, Daryl suddenly hauled himself to his feet, eyeing me from his standing position. "Ya better get some rest, Herschel said ya need it. When ya up for it, I think Rick'll want to talk with the whole group. Discuss what we're gonna do 'bout the Governor."

"He's coming, Daryl." I urged, suddenly fearful. Terror washed over me and I fell frantic for a moment. I gripped the bed sheets, imagining the Governor's sickening face and his cold touch trailing all over my skin again. Trembling, I chewed my lips and Daryl crouched down in front of me, clicking his fingers in front of my face.

"Snap out of that, girl." He muttered, getting my attention. "Ya don't got to be scared of him no more. I ain't gonna let him hurt ya. I'll protect ya."

"You shouldn't have to." I tried, not liking how incapable I must seem to Daryl. The hunter shrugged carelessly.

"Well, I'm gonna." He countered, softly. In the silence, Daryl lingered close to me and I tensed a little at the proximity. Daryl noticed this and his eyes narrowed. "Now, ya ain't _never _got to be scared of me, girl. I ain't gonna hurt ya 'nd ya better remember that." The intensity behind his words, despite his Southern drawl, was laced with nothing but the truth. There was a hint of urgency behind them as Daryl's eyes pleaded with me to believe him. I wanted so badly to believe them too and the more I considered Daryl before me, remembering all the time we had together, I _knew _that his words were true.

"I _know._" I nodded, my body relaxing at the statement, as Daryl's did.

In the silence that followed, I observed Daryl and hesitantly reached forward. He glanced at my approaching hand but surprisingly didn't flinch when my fingers trailed across his cheek. I noticed my hands trembled as I skimmed the essence of a bruise forming on Daryl's face, just under the eye, and I hated the idea of those people hurting him. Dried blood stained the side of his face and I tilted his head gently to see what damage had been inflicted. I sighed in relief as I felt through the tuffs of his hair and found nothing too serious to worry about, though when I returned my gaze to Daryl's face, I noticed an amused glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"What?" I questioned.

"How's it lookin', Doc?" He muttered, playfully, and I raised an eyebrow, revealing in the easy turn between us. _Like old times. _

"Nothing too serious, I don't think." I told him. "Gonna be looking like a panda for a little while, but I'm sure that's a look you can pull off." Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"Ya think so?" He asked, a smile still on his lips. I shrugged, smiling at the man, not really taking in that my hand still lay against his cheek. He didn't seem too bothered though.

Gently, I ran a hand through Daryl's tussled hair and attempted to tame his ruffled mess of locks. I was careful not to touch the side of his head too much as it appeared sore where the blood clumped together. I hadn't noticed before how soft the hunter's hair actually was and smiled slightly at the idea of mentioning to Daryl that he'd make the ideal model for a hair product.

"Somethin' funny 'bout my hair?" Daryl muttered, obviously noting my amused smile. I shook my head. "Ya ain't makin' me look an ass are ya?"

"I'm making you look handsome." I countered, smoothing down the last tuft of hair and dropping my hands away to examine my work. "There you go." I smiled. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "Shall I call Sophia? Maybe she'd like to braid your hair?" His eyes narrowed.

"Don't give the kid ideas." Daryl muttered, shaking his head and standing. He made to leave, but I reached out and grabbed his hand quickly. Daryl glanced at me with a raised eyebrow and I smiled slightly before raising his hand to my lips and placing a kiss onto the back of it.

"Thank you for coming back for me." I told the hunter, hoping he noted my sincerity. I raised my gaze to him and he looked dumbfounded for a moment though nodded numbly.

Gazing at Daryl, my feelings intensified. Given the circumstances, I had pushed aside all my feelings for the hunter, but now that the danger had subsided for a moment, they had all come rushing back to me. Almost making up for lost time. My body ached even more so now, after considering everything that happened at Woodbury between us and I knew that despite Daryl's demeanour and attitude, he was probably blaming himself for everything. _Hating himself for everything. _Just from looking into Daryl's eyes in that moment, I saw the pain and despair behind them, something that I so urged to rid.

"Daryl, I-"

"Well, ain't this cosy." A voice muttered from the door. Daryl and I turned to the source to see Merle in the doorway, eyes glancing between the pair of us with a raised eyebrow. In an instant, Daryl pulled his hand from mine and turned to his brother, fully. Daryl's action stung, though I covered the hurt up quickly.

"Ya want somethin'?" Daryl asked, stoically. Merle eyed him evenly for a moment before smirking.

"Just wanna know where ya cell is at, Baby Brother. Gonna pitch mine up next door." He told Daryl. The hunter nodded and glanced down at me.

"Get some rest." He urged, softly and I could do nothing but nod slowly.

With that, Daryl walked out the cell, pushing past his brother and leaving. Merle lingered for a moment, gazing at me with a thoughtful expression. I raised an eyebrow in question, hoping I wasn't trembling too much.

"Ya alright, darlin'?" He asked. I nodded slowly. "Better do as the Doc orders. Sweet dreams, princess." And with that, Merle left too, an unusual twinkle in his eye.

I stared at the doorway, the space both Dixons had vacated from and felt stunned for a moment. Unsure on what to really say about the exchange, I decided to lay back and oblige to Herschel's and Daryl's wishes. Exhaustion overpowered me almost immediately and I soon drifted off into the unconscious world. _Though this time, at my own accord._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Just watched the latest episode, though it's made me strongly dislike Andrea, I have to say (Sorry all Andrea fans!) The next episode is looking promising though, and I'm sure everyone has their ideas about the strange man on the roof in the promo. I know I do... ;) What did you guys think of this episode? And to those who'll be watching the newest one on Sunday, again please no spoilers for that one! Thank you! _

_The latest chapter, as you can tell, isn't so exciting. More of a filler chapter. I'm still trying to piece together the next stage in the story, but I'm afraid that means updates may be slower than normally. Most likely weekly. Sorry all, but bear with me! _

_ How was the Ruby/Michonne/Merle interaction? I've had a lot of questions about the Merle/Michonen dynamic and whether or not that's leading anyway and in all honesty, I'm not really sure myself. It's an odd pairing, I have to admit, and their interactions just seem to flow when I write, so we'll have to wait and see where that leads to. And how about Ruby's examination and hers and Daryl's talk? Not to mention the fact that Yes, Lori is alive! ;) _

_And a shout out to _Lupe Rouge, _who has created some Deviantart for _Loginquitas! _I've posted links to her work on my profile and I plead you all to take a look at them. I really love them and I thank her so much for her work! I'm honoured by them! :) _

_Thanks to all who've taken the time to review, you guys are great! Like I said, updates may be a little slow but I will keep them coming, do not fear! :) _


	42. Chapter Forty One

_Chapter Forty One_

I lurched out of bed with a sudden feeling of constriction overwhelming me. The sickening ghost like touch lingered all over my body, making me feel _dirty, disgusting. _My throat felt tight and I struggled to breath, panting heavily as I tried to focus my senses into reality. I wanted to heave and my stomach lurched again, my hand rushing to cover my mouth in the sudden urge to vomit.

"Ruby?" A timid voice asked and I spun quickly to its source. Sophia stood against the wall opposite the bunk we shared, her eyes wide and scared. She clutched Eliza her rag doll between her fingers as she observed me with an expression that sent shivers through me.

"It's alright, sweetie." I tried to soothe, my voice shaking a little. "I just had a nightmare." Sophia relaxed slightly and I swung my legs off the bed - deciding that I had had enough rest.

"You were tossing a bit, saying stuff that I couldn't hear." Sophia told me. "But I didn't know if I should wake you or not-"

"I'm fine now, don't worry." I tried my biggest, brightest smile and Sophia gave me one in return, seemingly believing my pretence. "Where are the others?"

"Either sleeping or downstairs." She informed me. "I think Rick is waiting for everyone to be up before talking." I nodded and hauled myself to my feet, using the bunk's framework for leverage. My body ached at the sudden movement, but it was bearable. Sophia observed me with concern but I beamed down at the little girl, holding out my hand for her to take. She did so immediately.

With Sophia's help, we made it down to the lower floor where a small proportion of the group was gathered. Rick was still with Lori. Glenn, Maggie and Sasha were all resting and Tyreese and Axel were on watch in one of the guard towers. The rest were gathered around the benches. Sophia led me to the table before rushing to Carl's side to observe the bundle in his arms. It seemed an odd sight for the kid to be holding a baby, but the way Carl pulled it off it seemed as though he was a natural. He stared down at his baby sister in almost wonder, smiling when Sophia approached and held the infant out for his friend to see.

"Was supposed to be me taking care of her." Andrea spoke, suddenly beside me. I glanced at my blonde friend. "I'm not the best with children though and I think this is the first time Carl's seen his baby sister properly." I smiled in admiration at the scene of the group's youngest together.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Herschel asked, getting to his feet and approaching me. I nodded.

"Better after some sleep." I admitted, ignoring the way the old farmer's eyes implored mine. "How's Lori?"

"She's awake." Herschel told me, my eyes widened at the news. "Weak but growing stronger by the minute." A pause. "She's been asking for you." I raised an eyebrow at this.

"For _me_?" I muttered in surprise. The old vet nodded.

"Rick has filled her in on what's going on, but I think she just wants to make sure you're alright herself. I told her I'd send you up when you had awoken." I nodded at this before my attention was brought to the youngest members of the group again.

"Has she seen Judith yet?" I asked in wonder.

"She's been in and out of daze over the past couple of days but yes she has seen her daughter. She managed to hold her for a few moments before passing out from exhaustion after she gave birth to Judith. We've promised Lori that we would take care of her until she was back on her feet again."

"Perhaps she'd like to see her now?" I suggested softly, turning to Herschel. The man shrugged his approval and I limped towards Carl and Sophia. "You doing a good job at being big brother, Carl?" The boy grinned up at me.

"This is easy!" He cried, holding the infant so naturally that I couldn't help but believe his words. I smiled at him, eyeing the baby in its peaceful slumber in his arms.

"You mind if I pinch her from you? I was going to go see your mom and I was thinking that she'd like to see Judith too. If that's alright with you?" I asked and Carl nodded an affirmative.

I was passed little Judith carefully, her brother instructing me on how to hold her, which position she was comfortable with and what to do if she started crying. I smiled at the little boy and assured him that I would look after her.

"Ya need any help gettin' up the stairs?" A southern drawl muttered from behind me and I rejoiced at the idea that it could have been _either _Dixon brother as they were _both _here. I knew which one it was though and smiled softly at the younger Dixon, shaking my head.

"I'll be fine, thank you." I assured the man, who nodded curtly and took his seat again. His brother beside him seemed barely unable to contain the knowing smirk on his lips and I decided to ignore him altogether, making my way toward the stairs without giving him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze.

Getting to the top floor proved more difficult with my arms full but I managed it and sighed with relief, feeling proud of my conquer. On my way towards the security room, I stared down at the infant in my hands, finally having the opportunity to see the new addition to the group in full scrutiny.

Judith was still in a peaceful slumber, her tiny hands curled up near her mouth and her toothless gums chewing absently on her little fingers. Carefully, I ran a finger down her soft cheek, feeling her skin so heavenly soft beneath my touch. I smoothed down the tiny tuffs of hair she had on her head and smiled down at her when she murmured unintelligent noises in her sleep.

She was so delicate, so fragile looking. Judith slept so soundly, completely ignorant to everything going on around her; to the dangers and evil in the world. And yet, this would be the world she would grow up in. She would never experience a time when the dead did not rise and from the day she was born, her life would be a constant battle for survival. In some respect, I envied the small bundle of innocence, how peacefully and absently she continued to sleep. But yet, considering her prospect in life, I realised how hard the road would be from now on for her; for _all _of us. My arms shook a little, not due to _her _weight for she weighed so little, but from the weight of this _revelation_. I felt saddened, _grieved_. I wondered if the decision to bring a new life into the world was such a great one, not just for Judith but for the group too. My heart sickened a little, but I had reached the door to the security room now and knocked hesitantly on the wood.

"Come in." A distant voice from within called and I opened the door carefully, balancing Judith in one arm to use the other.

Rick stood beside the couch, smiling at me when I entered. I returned the smile briefly before turning my attention to his wife. Lori was sat up a little now, her back resting against the arm of the couch. Her skin had eased off from it's sickly pale complexion and I noticed her cheeks had reddened slightly in colour; _a good sign, no doubt_. Her chest still heaved shakily upon each breath but taking in the smile on the woman's face, I didn't think it bothered her.

"I think I'll leave you to it." Rick announced. "I'll set about gathering the others, I'll send the kids up when we start discussing things, so you can come join us, Ruby." I nodded, making my way further into the room. Rick turned to his wife and leant down to place a kiss upon her forehead. Lori leaned into his touch and smiled absently at her husband when Rick moved away. He paused before leaving, eyeing his daughter in my arms with a smile. With one final, gentle pat on my shoulder, Rick left, closing the door softly behind him. I tried to shake off the fact I had flinched when Rick touched me, trying to pass it off for rocking Judith gently. Quickly, I sat down in the chair Rick had vacated, trying to ignore the feelings of regret at the fact I had flinched at Rick's touch. _Rick's. _The feelings of disgust still lingered though.

"I don't suppose either of us know where to begin." Lori stated after a moment of compatible silence. "Seems like it's been ages since we've spoke." A frown fell on her lips as she studied me thoughtfully. "Rick told me what happened to you." I smiled sadly, rocking the sleeping infant slowly.

"Everything just kinda went crazy, didn't it?" I admitted quietly. "One minute you and I are talking in here, the next Michonne turns up, we get taken hostage by the Governor and you finally give birth. It's been a crazy few days." Lori nodded slowly, her eyes gazing at her daughter for a moment.

"Rick tells me that you brought Merle back with you?" Lori began and I nodded in confirmation.

"He was with the Governor and his men. Merle saved me though, both Michonne and me." I told her, hoping to redeem the man a little. "He may be an ass but I know there's still good in him, what he did in Woodbury proves that."

"You trust him then?" I nodded. "Rick has told me he's wary of him, doesn't know if Merle plans to turn on him for what happened in Atlanta. I suppose I can't make judgements yet until I've seen the man myself. But if you said he saved you, then I guess that favours my opinion on him." I smiled softly at the woman, overwhelmed with happiness at seeing her more like herself again; long before Shane had died and her and Rick's relationship began to crumble. It seemed little Judith was the tool to bring them back together again.

"How are _you _holding up?" I asked, my eyed lingering to the bandage around her stomach. Lori wheezed a chuckle.

"Feels like I've just had something ripped out of me. _Which in theory, I have. _Everything burns and stings." She winced a sigh before smiling down at her daughter in my arms. "It is all worth it though for little Judith." I observed the woman's face silently before glancing down at the baby in my arms then studying the woman's stature again. "I would ask to take her from you, but I know Herschel doesn't want me to put too much strain on my wound and I'd like to get better as quickly as possible so I can be able to take care of her properly." I nodded.

"And we'll all take care of her until you are up on your feet again." I assured the woman with a faint smile. Lori beamed at me, looking at me with so much overwhelming happiness that I was taken back for a moment.

"I'm so glad you're alright." I chuckled.

"It's not as bad as it looks." I assured her, gesturing vaguely to my face and bruises. "If the asshole thinks a few punches will kill me then he's got another thing coming." I attempted to chuckle lightly, though Lori's face fell serious as she frowned.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Ruby?" She tried, softly. My eyes widened a little, though I covered the shock quickly by averting my gaze to stare down at the infant in my arms. I opened my mouth to tell her that I didn't know what she was talking about, but Lori ploughed on regardless. "What happened in Woodbury? You _know _you can tell me _anything, _Ruby."

I'm not sure what made me tell her, but I suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to let it all out. Sure, it had been briefly discussed with Daryl but only _briefly. _There was a heavy weight upon my chest and my skin still burned with the memories of the Governor's touch. The fear I felt in that dingy room in Woodbury would return to me and no matter how much I tried to push it away, it still lingered. It may have been Lori's soothing voice or perhaps the knowledge that I knew she would not judge me, but I found myself relaying _everything _that happened over the course of my confinement in Woodbury. Right from Michonne and my capture right to Rick taking me to safety. _And everything in between. _

She remained silent for it all and I made a point at ignoring the imploring gaze that she was directing at me. I didn't want to look up and see disgust in her ever trusting eyes, I couldn't bring myself to see that. My mouth seemed to work at its own accord, taking every little detail into consideration and when retelling the events before my release, I found myself shivering at the memories and struggling to form the words properly. When I had finally concluded my woeful story, there was a heavy silence in the room. One that was growing increasingly uncomfortable by the minute.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Ruby." Lori began, softly. "No one should ever have to go through that." I braved raising my gaze to the woman and was taken back by the intensity behind her stare. There was no disgust, _no rejection_, her eyes remained true and full of love and almost pity. I bit back the feeling of uselessness when seeing the pity; _I didn__'__t want to be pitied. _

"He didn't do anything." I muttered. "Not like he did with Michonne." A pause and I let out a humourless laugh. "And here I am, acting weak and pathetic when _she _is out there strong!" I chewed my lip thoughtfully, hating how much of my resolve had faded. Lori reached out and weakly grasped my arm between her loose grip. I raised my gaze again, meeting hers and tried not to shy away from the love and pity again.

"Don't you _ever _think that you're weak and pathetic, Ruby." She urged, defiantly. "Because you are most certainly _not. _You have no reason to feel shame for how you're feeling. That man is vile and a disgusting excuse for a human being who will be made to pay for all he's done. But don't you ever think that what happened makes _you _the weak one because you are one of the strongest people I know and I know that you won't let this beat you." She paused, squeezing my arm a little. "I'm not sure what can really be said to make this better for you, I don't think _anything _I say can. But I can tell you this; _don__'__t bottle things up, Ruby_. Don't shut everyone out. You'll do yourself no good by keeping it all inside. If you need to talk, then we will be willing to listen. Don't ever think that we will think any less of you after everything because you are _family _to us, Ruby. Don't you _ever _forget that." I allowed myself a small smile at the woman's words, relishing in the brief moment of warmth they gave me. It was a step in the right direction that's sure and I couldn't help but feel a slight reassurance after letting it all out.

"Rick and Daryl know." I breathed with a sigh. "And Herschel too, I suspect."

"But they think that he-"

"Yes." I nodded. "Well, Daryl doesn't as I set him straight." Lori's lips pursed a little.

"Would you like me to talk to Rick and Herschel?" I shook my head violently.

"No." I muttered, curtly. "I'll do it-" A pause. "In time." It was hard enough talking about it with Lori and Daryl. The woman nodded in understanding before smiling sadly.

"How are things with you and Daryl?" She asked, carefully. "I know that things weren't all great before you left and what with what happened to you-" She trailed off, looking sheepish and I shrugged.

"Talked things through with him. As far as I know, everything is fine now." I remembered briefly the scene Merle walked in on and suppressed a blush. _Now was not the time to think about that! _

"And have you discussed your _feelings _yet with him?" Lori asked, straight to the mark. I raised an eyebrow at her bluntness, surprised her defiant attitude.

"Not exactly." I muttered. "We've talked about- _stuff._ But not really our-" I was stuttering uselessly now and I saw the smile creeping onto Lori's face. "_Feelings. _It's not really the time. With this upending war and all that." Lori attempted to shrug, as much as her wound let her.

"No time like the presence." She countered with a large grin on her face. Slowly though, the smile faded. "Of everyone though, Ruby, don't cut _Daryl _out. I know what happened at Woodbury will be touchy for both of you, but I think being honest with him is what you _need_." She sighed. "I know you hate the way he looks after you but he does it because he _cares. _I know you don't think you need his protection but even the strongest of people need help from time to time." In my arms, little Judith murmured slightly as there was a pause as we waited to see if she'd wake up. She didn't and Lori continued. "And with Merle being back, I think Daryl is going to need you more than ever too. It's not going to be easy having his brother back but together I know you can pull through it. Together you can pull through anything. Don't push him away, Ruby."

Further musing were interrupted as Judith decided to have her input, wailing a little, and the conversation was dropped as we set about taking care of her. I was hesitant with the baby, especially in its mother's presence, but also because I had never really had chance to interact with one _ever _on my existence. I recalled holding a few of my cousins' babies way before the outbreak, in my younger years, but that was as far as it went. As soon as they started crying, they were thrust away immediately. But here, with her mother incapacitated, Judith was under my care in that moment. _That was a terrifying thought. _

We finally managed to quiet Judith down with some of the baby formula that Herschel had gotten ready and left beside Lori's bed. Judith suckled the bottle contently and I was glad that the panic was over. _Until the next time. _Lori smiled faintly down at her daughter, the exertion apparently tiring her and met my gaze when I turned to her. There was a moment of compatible silence before Lori opened her mouth to speak, apparently wanting to continue our previous conversation. We were interrupted however when a light knocking on the door was heard.

Sophia and Carl entered the room, informing me that Rick was gathering everyone together downstairs and that I was called to join them. The children were sent up to watch over Lori and the baby and I nodded, allowing Carl to take his sister from me. Lori's expression grew in happiness as she watched her children together and she met my gaze with a smile.

"Think about what I said to you, Ruby." She urged softly. I nodded.

"I will." I promised and made my leave, patting Sophia's head as I passed.

The rest of the group were all gathered down by the benches, with the exception of Tyreese and Axel who were still on watch. Everyone had taken a seat, beside Rick and conversation paused as I made my way down the metal steps to them. I smiled awkwardly at the leader before taking a seat in the one Daryl quickly vacated for me. I smiled warmly at the man, giving him my silent thanks as I knew that if I had been made to stand for the duration of this meeting, it would have been a struggle. Daryl in turn took a stand beside Rick and I blatantly ignored the shit-eating grin on the older Dixon's face opposite me.

"Well, I guess we better discuss our next plan of action then." Rick began, slowly. "I don't think I need to relay the details again, you all know the story. We're under threat by a man who calls himself The Governor and his town called Woodbury. I think all we need to do is look at Michonne and Ruby to know what these people are capable of." I shied away from the stares I suddenly got, feeling tense under the brief scrutiny. "For those who don't actually know what Woodbury actually is, it's a town not far from here. With numbers far more than we have."

"I'd take a guess 'nd say there's around 80 people in Woodbury." Merle piped in before smirking at Rick. "But that's without the casualties they probably got after ya little raid." Rick nodded once, looking annoyed at the man's input, but probably more so about the man himself.

"And we think they know where we are." Rick continued. "And if they don't know _exactly _then they'll no doubt find us eventually. It's a wonder they haven't before but I suppose we've been lucky." He sighed and ran a wary hand through his hair. "His people are heavily armed, we've seen that first hand. And their numbers are over alarmingly greater than ours."

"Are you saying that we _run _then?" Andrea asked, slowly, folding her arms across her chest.

"_Run?_" Rick muttered before shaking his head. "No I'm not. We went through hell to get this place, to get it _secure_. I have _no _intention of abandoning it for these people."

"But if we're outgunned and outnumbered then what real chance do we have?" Sasha asked, a slight tremble to her words.

"We have _every _chance. This is _our _home and we are _not_ going to let them take it!" Rick replied, defiantly.

"My opinion is not swaying to either side, Rick, but I feel obliged to remind you that you have a wife who has recently undergone a caesarean without proper medical equipment." The old farmer began. "She is wounded and I don't feel that moving her will do her any good. There are so many risks if we do, she is at risk of infection already under the conditions we're in. Moving her may cause problems with the healing." Herschel added, diplomatically. "It will take weeks for her to heal, but we may not have _that _long."

"It could be weeks, months, _days _before they find us. But I think it's safe to say that they _will_ eventually." Rick muttered in reply. "We just need to make sure that when they do get here…" A pause. "We're ready for them."

The silence drew out for a moment and the cell block felt suddenly very eerie. It was broken though quite quickly.

"Ya noble words are all well 'nd good, Officer." Merle cut in, suddenly, no hint of a smirk on the man's face anymore. "But ya don't _really_ understand what ya dealin' with 'ere." Rick's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"'And you do?" Rick muttered, getting a brief smirk in return for his heavy glare.

"They developed a new sport in Woodbury, ya know?" Merle began, slowly. "They'd chain a punch of walkers in a circle 'nd make a couple of guys fight in the middle. The townsfolk would all come 'nd watch, sick ain't it? Men, women… _children_. Not to mention that I'm sure Ruby has filled ya'll in on our previous little run in with this guy? Nearly had myself strung up for dinner if it weren't for the girls 'nd I sure as hell know that I ain't the only _person _they've considered eatin'. 'Nd I suppose we gotta remind ourselves 'bout what their _hobbies _are regardin' _women.__"_There was a pause as Merle's words lingered around the cell block. The man had finally taken to talking sense, but they were words _no one _wanted to hear. "Ya honestly think that if the Governor gets 'ere, '_nd he will, ya right about that_, that he'll put up an easy fight?"

"So you think we should run then?" Rick snarled at the man. Merle held up his hands. "I suppose it would be _you _who would suggest _running, _wouldn't it? You have a tendency for that, don't you?!"

"That ain't what I'm sayin', Officer." He replied with a glare of his own. I was surprised for a moment that Merle didn't heed to the argument but the man ploughed on, ignoring the last statement Rick had made. "I'm sayin' that ya need to get ya freakin' head out ya ass 'nd start thinkin' _tactical! _Ya need to fortify this place, get yourselves some lookouts, plan ya attack formation. Get ya escape route ready if need be. Cut the whole "we ain't gonna let 'em take it" bullshit 'cos if they come down 'ere packin' heavy artillery then they'll tear this place apart. Ya need to think _realistic, _'cos if it comes down to it 'nd we're bein' pushed into a corner, then the only option is to _split. _Regardless on _'__how much__'_ya 'ave been through in this damn place."

"You know, for a complete jerk, Merle is actually talking sense." Maggie muttered, earning herself a triumphant smirk from the man.

"We could load up the RV and vehicles with everything we have, get them positioned ready for a getaway if needed." Glenn suggested. "We could gather all the gas from the prison buses in the vehicle bay and empty the kitchens for our food supply."

"Still got the armoury too." Daryl added. "We got enough weapons to distribute, I suppose, 'nd ammo to last a while. But we gotta ration it, don't fire unless needed. Don't need to be trigger happy at a time like this."

"See! Now ya people are gettin' somewhere!" Merle muttered with a grin. He was ignored.

"We could maybe gear ourselves up in the riot gear?" Glenn continued. "Though I'm not sure if they'll be enough to go around-"

"I don't see why we don't just _leave _now that we have the advantage?" Andrea suddenly cut in, startling the group. All eyes turned to her. "We could pack up everything and just _go, _save the bloodshed. We have _no_ chance against these people."

"This is our _home, _Andrea. We cannot give in!" Rick cried.

"And why not?" Andrea challenged. "What do we honestly have here that's worth dying for?"

"It's secure here, we have a life here-"

"Yes, but if these people come then we won't have _any _life to live!"

"Running is _not _an option!" Glenn suddenly cut in.

"We have _children _to think about too, remember!" Andrea muttered. "You honestly think that starting a _war _with these people will be good for them? They can't be expected to fight!"

"We're not saying that they have to." Rick shook his head and Andrea raised an eyebrow.

"So what, you're gonna lock them in here until it's _over?__" _She countered. "Leave them to wait until we're all killed off and the Governor and his men come looking for any survivors. I think we've heard enough about this man to know that he wouldn't go easy on children."

"Your attitude on the man has changed dramatically." Michonne muttered, eyeing the woman. "You were all for joining him before the kidnapping." Andrea narrowed her eyes at Michonne.

"That was before he was a threat."

"And he wasn't a threat _before?__"_

"Why are you so adamant that we leave, Andrea?" I muttered without thinking. Andrea's eyes turned to me, her anger leaving her as she was now addressing me and not Michonne. There was still a hint of irritation behind them though.

"Because I'm not liking the idea of engaging in battle against these people! None of us have the experience of warfare and yet we all stand around acting like soldiers gunning up before a fight!"

"Speak for yourself, Blondie." Merle muttered. "Was a Sergeant back in the day." Andrea sent the man a glare, which he returned with an easy smirk.

"So what happens when we leave this place then?" I carried on, addressing Andrea. "We find somewhere new, start a new life and all that. You honestly expect that if we leave then all the Woodbury threat will _go away _too?" Andrea's expression faltered a little. "Merle, Michonne and I were _hounded _after we left them. They attacked the farm and we _ran _then. Look at us now, months down the line and they're _back _again. No matter how many times we run, they'll still follow. Why not get rid of the threat once and for all?" Andrea didn't answer for a moment and a frown fell on her face.

"Look what happened on the farm when they attacked last time." She began, slowly. "We lost our _home _then too. We lost Patricia, Jimmy, Beth-" She paused to send Herschel and Maggie an apologetic glance. "Carol-" A pause as she swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Dale. Are we really ready to lose anyone else?"

"Last time we weren't prepared for an attack." Rick cut in, suddenly. "But now we have the advantage. We have this place," He raised his arms, gesturing vaguely to the cell block and prison that we inhabited. "We have vantage points, places to fight from, guns, ammo-" He paused and glanced at Merle before sighing ruefully. The man himself raised a questioning eyebrow at Rick's stare. "And we have Merle; who has had army experience which will become useful." Merle smirked triumphantly and I noticed Daryl roll his eyes at his brother's smug actions.

"We have the tombs too." Glenn added quickly. Everyone turned to him in confusion and he turned sheepish at the sudden attention. "The parts of the prison outside of the safe zone; T-Dog used to call them 'the tombs'." There was a moment of silence as the group tried to push aside the memories of the fallen. "We could use them to our advantage. We know it better than them, if they make it inside the prison then we could lead them down there, have the walkers take care of them."

"That's a last resort." Rick nodded slowly.

"I thought our _last resort _was to run." Andrea muttered, bitterly, folding her arms across her chest. Everyone ignored her.

The planning continued on a little longer, more ideas being thrown back and forth amongst the group. I remained silent for the most part, having nothing to add to the discussion any further. It was soon decided that fortifying the prison was the first place to start. Glenn and Maggie were quickly sent to patrol the perimeter to check for any weak spots in the fence and to inform Axel and Tyreese of the conclusions that had been made. Sasha and Andrea were put in charge of gathering all food and medicines from the kitchens and infirmary and bringing it all back to the cell block. The latter of the pair seemed thoroughly aggravated with the decisions being made but obliged to Rick's orders obediently. Herschel had returned himself back to Lori and the children, to check on the wounded woman and inform them on the decisions. I noticed the tense look on the man's face as he ascended the stairs, a thoughtful one. I couldn't ignore the man's words regarding Lori and her condition. In the need to run from the prison, would we be able to move Lori safely without inflicting damage on the woman? _Time would surely tell. _

The five of us that remained were an odd bunch, consisting of Rick, Daryl, Merle, Michonne and myself. Now with the free seats, Rick and Daryl obliged to seating themselves at the table and the former sighed loudly before turning his full attention to the older Dixon brother.

"Until all this is over, can we cut the shit with you?" He muttered, raising an eyebrow at Merle. "You could prove to be useful but we don't need the hassle too. Now it _not _the time." Merle scoffed.

"Ya can't tell me what to do, Officer." Merle countered bitterly before shrugging. This was all Rick got in a way of confirmation from the man, but it was enough.

"Now, you talk tactics-?" Rick began, trailing off. Merle frowned thoughtfully before leaning forward and resting his handless arm on the table. I noticed the way Rick glanced down at the contraption warily but he said nothing.

"We'll start off with establishin' people's positions." He began and Rick raised his eyebrow. "Ya got ya fighters 'nd then ya got the ones who'll stay on the back seat-"

"Right," Rick nodded. "Well, I suppose those on the 'back seat' will be Lori - for obvious reasons - and the children."

"What 'bout the old man?" Merle muttered and Rick frowning a little.

"The man's our only medic, would it be best to keep him out of sight?" Daryl suggested, lightly. "Plus ya wife will need him." Rick took a moment's hesitation before nodding in agreement.

"So ya keep those 'ere, ready to scarper if needs be. The rest ya need to assign basic positioning." Merle began before sighing. "Suppose ya could just let everyone do as they please, but that could get messy. If ya have a basic plan for when the shootin' starts then everyone knows what they're job is. For example, it'll be useful to have a couple of snipers. Anyone good enough?" There was a pause.

"Ruby is." Daryl muttered and I turned to him in confusion. He smirked a little, one that didn't quite hold much sincerity. "Might as well put those lessons from Shane to good use, huh?" I suddenly remembered the lessons I had endured with the man and I was surprised that I had forgotten them all so quickly. I let out a brief chuckle before shrugging.

"Andrea's pretty good with a rifle too." I suggested, remembering that the woman has also taken up some of Shane's one-to-one lessons.

"Blondie 'nd Ruby it is then." Merle nodded. "We gotta play at everyone's strengths, use them to our advantage." There was a hesitation as he glanced down at his handless arm. "Can't say I'm too great at usin' guns. My _disability _renders me pretty fuckin' useless with one. Hand-to-hand combat though; I'm _lethal_." _No one questioned him. _

"Me too." Michonne nodded. "Can't say I'm all too great with the things either, never really used one. I'd prefer to use my sword."

"You two could take on a surprise attack?" Rick suggested. "Perhaps find a way to take the Woodbury group from behind, while they're distracted with the main fight? You could take down the stragglers."

"That's a _vague _idea, Rick." Daryl pointed out, though his older brother shrugged.

"One that can be worked on, Baby Brother. But a good one even so." Merle smirked at the leader, good-naturedly which Rick took with a grimace. "Reckon we'll only be able to put _that _idea into motion though when they bring the fight. When we see what approach they're takin', we can decide our plan from there, regarding a surprise attack from Micky 'nd me."

"And the rest?" I urged.

"Who are ya best fighters?" Merle asked, turning to Rick. The man paused and then sighed thoughtfully.

"Daryl, Glenn and myself probably but the others know how to use a gun too." Rick informed him. Merle nodded.

"Well, if we play off the idea that _you three _are the power three - sounds fuckin' cheesy, I know. Get over it." I smiled a little and Michonne scoffed. "You'll be the main body of our attack, the ones that aim for the big guy - obviously I'm gonna have my share at gettin' to that asshole, but you three will be the ones whose main focus is _him. _We take him down then the rest is piss. Once their leader is gone, they'll not know what the fuck to do 'nd it'll be an _easy _fight for us." The man smirked darkly. "If ya have the rest in defensive positions then I think we've got ourselves a pretty strong team."

"One that can beat the Governor?" Rick muttered. Merle hesitated before shrugging.

"We'll see, Officer."

…

After Maggie and Glenn returned and confirmed that the perimeter was as secure as it ever will be, the next step was to strengthen our 'base' - as Merle put it. Wooden and metal crates taken from the kitchens and various rooms amongst the prison were constructed into 'battle stations' - another of Merle's terms. The cars and the RV were moved to the side of the yard, beside one of the guard towers and were positioned ready for a speedy getaway if needed. Besides the obvious uses of the guard towers, other vantage points were constructed and slowly the prison was becoming _fortifiable. _

When darkness struck, Axel and Tyreese switched shifts with Sasha and Maggie and the group returned to the cell block for the night. The night was tense and I wasn't sure how well people slept, with the feeling of an upending attack occurring any minute. Though when morning came, everyone quickly resumed the same positions as the day before and we carried on our jobs at quick pace.

The days began to add up and while we were happy for the time provided to prepare, I knew that the tension was mounting amongst everyone. We were all on edge, just _waiting _now for an attack. Most of the prison became tactical after under a week's worth of work though Rick was forever in need for improvement, hassling the group to keep up the pace and growing more agitated by the passing hours.

"You know, I can't say my guns skills are up to scratch either." I heard Tyreese say to Rick one day. "Been using my hammer pretty much since the start of the outbreak. Suppose I can point and fire in the right direction, but I can't guarantee that I'll reach my target." Rick chuckled at this.

"It's fine, Tyreese." Rick assured the man. "You can join Merle and Michonne in their 'combat attack' as Merle calls it." Tyreese smiled his thanks at the man and left the leader to visit his wife in peace.

I watched Tyreese from my seat on a bench, having found myself with nothing to do that particular day. He made his way across the upper platform, smiling pleasantly at those who past him, before making his way down the stairs. He walked towards me when he reached the bottom, greeting me with a friendly smile.

"How are you doing, Ruby?" The man asked pleasantly. I smiled in return; I had always liked Tyreese. He was a good man.

"I'm better, thank you." I replied. "I feel almost myself again!" _Almost. _Tyreese beamed in return. "How about you?"

"Can't deny that I'm nervous about this upcoming fight, it's getting wary by the day, isn't it?" I grimaced in agreement. "Though it's a good thing we're prepared."

"Yes it is." I nodded, my musing interrupted as Michonne approached the table, her eyes darting between the pair of us, lingering on the man beside me.

"Rick wants a couple of people to check that the entrances into the tombs are secure." She announced.

"Sure, you want me to come?" I offered, already rising to my feet. Michonne quickly shook her head.

"No, you stay here. I know you're getting better, but I think you should sit this one out." Michonne told me, firmly, before turning to Tyreese. "Fancy joining me?" The man shrugged, standing and smiling briefly down at me.

"See you later, Ruby." He nodded before following Michonne out of the cell block. I frowned, watching the pair go with confusion.

"Think too hard 'nd ya head may explode." An obnoxious voice muttered, suddenly beside me. I didn't need to look up to see who it was. There was a creak as Merle took a seat on the bench opposite me. "What's with the scowl, girly?"

"Just confused, that's all." I admitted, turning my attention away from the door Tyreese and Michonne had just exited out of and looked to Merle. The man smirked.

"Doesn't take a lot, does it?" He countered and I glared at the man, only making him chuckle. "What's got ya thinkin', darlin'?"

"Michonne and Tyreese." I told him and Merle raised an eyebrow before scoffing.

"So, Micky's found herself a man, huh? Didn't think I'd see the day." Merle muttered, nodding. "Lets hope they don't breed, we don't need any more Mickys on our hands." I rolled my eyes at the man.

"That wasn't what I was suggesting." I muttered, though the possibility was being considered in my head as I spoke. _An odd situation. _"Rick's favoured him to join you and Michonne on the combat attack." Merle's eyes narrowed at this.

"So, I'm bein' left with the fuckin' love birds, huh? Lucky me!" I grinned at the man's distaste. "I swear they go all gooey-eyed 'nd I'm takin' the man's head off!" _Delightful!_

"Ain't you the charmer." Merle smirked before setting his gaze to a serious one.

"While we're on the topic of _lovers _though," Merle began, slowly. I stifled the groan that wanted to emerge as I guessed what he wanted to ask. "Ya fuckin' my brother?" I scoffed at this.

"Thought we'd established that I wasn't?" I pointed out with a roll of my eyes. Merle shrugged.

"When I suggested it the first time, I didn't think nothing of it. Then I _saw _ya both together." Merle smirked. "I mean, where would that little moment have led if I hadn't have interrupted ya both? Holdin' hands can go a long way." He raised his eyebrows suggestively and I sighed at the man's blatant nature.

"I'm _not _with Daryl." I urged, trying to make a point with the man as I knew that this teasing would only be the start of the torment.

"Ya like him better than me?" Merle asked, curiously, though there was a growing smile on the man's face.

"I like you both in _different_ ways." I replied, mysteriously, letting the man chuckle darkly.

"I'd sure hope so, as things could start to get _real _complicated between the three of us!" I couldn't repress the urge to smack the man upon the side of the head and was surprised by the hearty laugh he let out at my actions. "In all seriousness though, girly, ya want me to smack some sense into Baby Brother?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion and Merle sighed dramatically. "The ass ain't so good at workin' out what his feelings mean, he has a tendency to just ignore them. Doesn't really understand when he's got a good thing goin' on 'nd tends to drive them away. Now, before he lets that happen with _you, _ol' Merle can step up 'nd make him see sense." A pause and yet _another _smirk. "If that's what _ya _want?"

"I don't know, Merle." I admitted after a long hesitation. "With everything going on at the moment, I think it's best that everyone focuses on the threat of Woodbury. We don't need things to get too complicated do we? I think I'll wait till after all this has ended before deciding what to do."

A sudden thoughtful look fell over Merle's face as he contemplated my answer. One that was ever so serious and ever so strange to see on _his _face. The silence stretched a moment as Merle seemed to delve my response with careful examination. Finally the man shook his head once and murmured in a grave tone;

"It may be _too late _by then."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Took my time this time, didn't I! Apologises, my internet has been lagging whenever I've been up for posting the next installment, but here it is! It's not too exciting, just the planning etc. I wanted to set a starting point for the group's planning, rather than have them head straight into the fight. Hopefully Merle's input is believable as I do believe he talked about his time in the army during season 1 (sometime during his ramblings on the roof!). I have no knowledge on warfare, so all their tactical planning is made up from my head! Hopefully you guys liked the plans they're creating? Will it work, I wonder... _

_And a random comment - I mentioned that Andrea is good with a sniper rifle. I know most would state otherwise - she did shoot Daryl after all! - but in the comics she's actually really good with a gun. So I'd like to bring that skill of hers into my story! She has some use, people! Plus, I'd like to attempt to make her more like her comic conterpart, because I really like that Andrea compared to the series Andrea. I hope you people didn't mind! _

_Thank you to those who have commented on the last chapter, your words mean a lot! And also, I have posted a link on my profile to another fan's work for this story. _WinchesterSalvatoreLover_ has made a banner for Loginquitas and I urge you all to go take a look. The links to other fan work for this story is on there too! I thank those who have produced work for Loginquitas, I'm honoured! _

_Thanks again to everyone, I'll have an update up ASAP. Please leave a comment! :) _


	43. Chapter Forty Two

_Chapter Forty Two_

Doubt was slowly creeping in through the walls of the prison, over-whelming its inhabitants. Mostly in the form of Andrea and her persistent arguing on the matter.

A couple of weeks had passed since Michonne and I had returned to the prison again and the group had strongly anticipated an almost immediate attack from Woodbury. In the time of waiting, we had spent it building up our defences and piling up our supplies, taking a stock take. Vehicles had been stocked up and ready to abandon the prison if needed, Herschel had even taken the precaution to preparing Lori incase she needed to be moved in a rush - a risky business, but one that needed to be considered.

So far though, _nothing _had happened. The waiting was climatic.

As the days passed though, Andrea began to question the situation more. Initially she had been the one to argue against Rick's decision, so no one in the group was surprised when the blonde continued to argue her thoughts on the matter.

"Why hasn't he attacked by now?" Andrea demanded Rick one day. The man, himself, seemed to try and control his anger for a moment before turning to the woman calmly.

"I don't know." He replied, slowly, seemingly hoping the conversation would drop. _Of course, Andrea wouldn't let it._

"It's strange how he hasn't attacked already. Surely the best idea was to attack us when our defences were down, not _now _when we've been able to prepare?" Rick shrugged half-heartedly - he had already responded to this question before and judging by the man's face, he was getting tired of Andrea's questioning.

"He's probably preparing, like us." Glenn answered for him. "We _did _take out a few of his men when we raided the town. They're probably recovering,_ like us_, and planning their next move."

"Either way, it's good for us." Daryl muttered under his breath. Andrea's lips pursed together and her eyebrows burrowed. She seemed ready to argue some more, but Rick had already walked away and was making his way toward the security room to visit his recovering wife.

I understood Andrea's doubts, as it did make sense - surely the Governor's best move was to attack us when we were weak and not allow us to gather together, gain strength? If he had attacked as soon as Michonne and I had returned to the prison, then it would have been fair to say that we wouldn't have stood a very strong chance. But _now. _Now, we had a _fighting_ chance.

However, one day, Rick ordered for a small group to make a round outside, check the defences, the 'battle stations' (Merle's term) and just overall see if any improvement could be made. While the small group did this, the rest would remain in the cell block and either continue with stock taking or rest - if they needed to.

The obvious suspects were chosen; Daryl, Merle, Axel, Glenn and surprisingly Michonne were the ones who joined Rick on the patrol. I was then appointed on watch in one of the towers to keep an eye out while the six down below were busy. I was given a walkie-talkie which was connected then to two more - Rick and Andrea holding the others, the latter inside the security room in the cell block.

The sniper rifle that had been given to me was in my hands as I leant over the tower railings. Down below, I observed as the six of them slowly examined our defences, discussing tactics and various other things no doubt. I noticed the bounding, four-legged figure of Toby racing aimlessly around the group. I smiled fondly at the sight of him, how free he seemed and considered all that I had been through with the dog.

Over the time in the prison, Toby's presence had dulled into the background for me. He was rarely by my side anymore and had taken to Sophia and Carl's company more than mine. I didn't question his motives though. Having spent so long alone with me, I wasn't surprised the dog had broadened his search out amongst the group. I felt slightly ashamed that the dog, who had been a faithful companion from the very start of the outbreak, had been almost forgotten it seemed, though I knew that it wasn't because I didn't care about Toby anymore. Now that we had found others, we felt no need to keep to our own solitude, having spent so long alone, I relished _stable _human contact. And after spending over nine months with these people, it didn't seem we could get more _stable! _

Taking in the German Shepherd from my vantage point, I smiled fondly again at the memories we had had together, times alone trying to survive, to meeting Sophia, returning her to her mother and right the way to where we found ourselves now. People had come and go throughout this new apocalyptic world, but Toby had _not_. Maybe recently I hadn't acknowledged his presence, but that didn't mean I appreciated the dog any less. I had survived this new world because of _Toby _and I was glad that my four-legged friend had found a place at the side of the hunter of the group.

I raised the rifle and rested it on the top of the railing before looking down its scope and scanning the tree line. There was some movement, though it appeared to just be either walker activity or the shrubbery moving in the slight breeze that began to tickle the skin. _It was a nice day, _I noted mildly.

"_What__'__s happening out there then?_" Andrea's voice asked over the radio. I ignored her question for a moment, keeping my sights down the scope and taking in the growing number of walkers that were beginning to gather at the prison fences. It wasn't an over-alarming number, the fences would most definitely keep them at bay anyway. But it was a number that I took note of.

"_You__'__re not supposed to be talking down this unless there__'__s an emergency._" Rick's voice suddenly called down his end. I snorted to myself, apparently the leader was still pretty pissed at Andrea's insistency. I could practically see the man's glare in his voice.

"_I__'__m just curious, Rick._" Andrea replied, sickly sweet. There was silence down both ends for a moment.

"_See anything up there, Ruby?_" Rick asked and I took my sight away from the rifle scope to glance to where those on the ground were gathered.

"Nothing." I confirmed after briefly scanning the area. "I was wondering though, Rick. Do we plan to do anything with the walkers outside?" There was a pause and I noticed how the group below had turned to observe the growing dead outside the fence of the prison. "I just think it could become a problem soon."

"_Merle thinks we could use them to our advantage when the Governor attacks, they could take out a lot of his men for us._" Rick responded after a moment of seemingly debating it with the others.

"_If._" Andrea muttered from her end. "_If he attacks.__"_

"When, Andrea. _When._" I responded, shortly. She didn't know the Governor and his ways like I did. Like Michonne or Merle did. I too was getting pretty tired of her irritating habits.

The line went dead after that and we each went back to our respective jobs. I continued scanning the tree line, while also watching the group below too. The rifle in my hands was heavy, but I had gotten use to the weight. Since Shane's lessons, I hadn't been able to put his teachings into much practise and I was afraid that I had forgotten all he taught me. Standing in the tower again, though, with the rifle in hand, it all came back to me. All his _wise _words, his tips, his useful instructions. Though Shane had grown into a darker being than he was before, I couldn't deny that the man was a good teacher and was thankful that I could try and remember the man for his teaching than the last moments of the man's existence when he tried to _kill_ his best friend.

The group below made their rounds and I observed them from above, once more, taking in each of them before moving my gaze back to the tree line. It was becoming a routine now. _Check those below, scan the tree line. Check those below, scan the tree line._

This time however, instead of concluding that everything was just as it was before, an odd movement caught my eye. I paused my eyes on a particular spot, trying to stare harder to divulge the unusual movement I had caught sight of. It was far too quick for a walker and I hesitantly peered down the sniper scope, trying to spot anything else between the trees.

_Then, Toby started barking._

My stomach plunged at the resounding noise of my faithful companion barking excessively, his gaze set to the same spot that had taken my attention. I had grown use to the dog's ways of alerting danger on our time on the road and the urgent barks Toby was making now, was enough to send dread through me.

The group below didn't seem to take notice of the dog's actions. I noticed Michonne had paused and was staring at Toby, though didn't seem to make any move to question the dog's motives. The others seemed to think that he was just barking at the walkers outside.

"_Ruby, ya mind tellin__'__ ya mutt to shut it?_" Merle's voice called over the radio, apparently having taken the walkie-talkie from Rick. I raised my own radio, ready to alert the others of the danger, when suddenly a gun shot echoed out.

Toby let out a strangled yelp and the barking ceased. I watched in horror as Toby's body hit the grass floor of the compound. Those below stopped, shocked by the sudden action and we could only watch in horror as a pickup truck slowly emerged from between the tree line and a sickeningly familiar figure got out the passenger seat.

_It__'__s him. _

Before anyone could react, the bullets started flying.

I watched from above as the six below scattered quickly, getting to cover so they were out of the firing line. I took one moment to compose myself, pushing the sight of Toby's still body to the back of my mind. _I__'__ll mourn for my fallen companion later. _The others needed me.

Shane's teachings were quickly at the front of my mind and I readied myself down the scope. Rick and the others were firing back now and what could only be described as a battle was occurring below. I scanned the tree line in my scope, trying to get a clear sight of the Governor, but he seemed to have placed himself in a position where that was near impossible to get at from the tower.

"Damn it." I cursed under my breath and quickly aimed for one of his goons. I took a deep inhale, holding my breath as Shane had instructed me to - _to steady the rifle - _and took a shot.

The goon fell dead, his body hitting the forest floor. Though I didn't celebrate - _I had just killed a _living_ human being after all. _I couldn't stop to consider this though as suddenly bullets laid into the guard tower I was in, apparently the aim had been turned towards me now they knew I was up here. I yelped slightly as glass in the tower behind me shattered and I ducked quickly, diving to the floor.

"_What the hell is going on out there?_!" Andrea's frantic voice called over the radio, just audible over the flair of bullets.

"_We__'__re under attack, what the fuck do ya think, blondie!__" _Merle's voice hollered over their end of the radio. The radio crackled and hissed for a moment before Rick's voice suddenly took over the walkie-talkie. "_Andrea, tell Herschel to get Lori and the kids ready. Get Maggie, Sasha and Tyreese up and armed. We need you lot out here!__"_

The bullets directed at the tower seemed to have died down, so I scooted nearer to the edge to continue my sniping. I succeeded in injuring one man - shooting him in the shoulder - before I took in their numbers.

"Rick!" I quickly called over the radio. "I don't think this is the main attack." There was a long pause and I glanced down towards where Rick was crouching behind one of the defence posts, gun in one hand and radio in the other. "There's too few of them and if what Merle says is true about their numbers, then surely there would be more of them if this is supposed to be the full fight they're supposed to be bringing?" In Rick's pause, I took the advantage to try again for the Governor, though ended up smashing the windscreen of his pickup. His stare turned to the tower and I noticed a sickening smirk as he muttered words to the man next to him. The next thing I knew, more bullets hit the tower and I ducked again to avoid them. "Fuck!" I cursed as a bullet skimmed the railing just above my head.

"_Ruby, you alright?!__" _Rick's frantic voice asked. I chuckled bitterly over the radio.

"Fantastic!" I muttered.

"_How many are there?_" I quickly glanced across the tree line, counting quickly.

"About a dozen." I replied, noting how one man fell suddenly, an arrow in his chest. _Curtsy of Daryl. _

"_Andrea, you and the others stay in the cell block. Get everyone ready to move if necessary__. Merle says he__'__s all for show so this might just be a warning. Keep everyone _in _the prison, understood? I__'__ll call if I need anyone else._" There was a tense pause.

"_Alright, Rick. Be careful._" Andrea's strained voice replied.

The walkers outside had become a problem to the Governor's group, just like Rick had suggested, and they seemed to be battling them too now, working to our advantage. From above, I took in how Michonne was making pretty rubbish use with the gun she had, just as she had informed us all. She seemed like she was trying to aim for the Governor but failing miserably, bullets bouncing off his truck and not even getting close to him.

Suddenly, the sound of a sniper rifle echoed out and I frowned when I realised it wasn't mine. I glanced across the horizon, trying to find the sniper of his group before the radio crackled again.

"_Ruby! Guard tower, take him out! Now!__" _Rick hollered quickly.

I looked towards the guard tower opposite me and stared in confusion as one of the Governor's goons seemed to have managed to get themselves up there. They had injured Axel, it seemed, as the man was crouched down next to where he and Merle were covered behind and holding his leg. I took a moment to consider the scene before taking aim and firing. It struck the guard tower, just by the man's head, but it was enough to diverge his attention to _me. Shit. _I watched as he took aim and quickly tried to reload my own rifle.

_Trust now being the time it needed to reload. _

"C'mon." I muttered. My hands were shaking and I struggled to load and cock the rifle. A bullet sounded out, though I quickly rolled out of the way before it took a lethal blow at me. Instead pain shot down my side and I knew the bullet had struck me. _No time to think about that though. _Now that I had the upper advantage on him, I took aim and made sure the shot counted. _One bullet and the man fell. _His body almost fell off the side of the tower and I took the pause to glance down at my side. _Blood. _"Damn it."

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Bullets stopped firing and everything went eerily still. The Governor's group had made a pretty good job at keeping the walkers at bay, apparently the dead weren't as much of a hassle for them as we had hoped. Attention was diverted away though as an odd sound seemed to be approaching the prison. The six below seemed just as confused as I did, though when I looked at the Governor down my scope, I felt my stomach lurch at the sickening smirk on his face.

A bread van then came into view, rounding the corner and heading at a rapid speed towards the prison. _What the-? _It was coming _for _the prison.

Unsure on really what its heading was, I decided I didn't care and quickly took aim at the windscreen, taking a shot. The glass shattered though the driver still kept the speed up and was still driving straight for the prison. Another shot, though I realised that the driver was wearing body armour and my bullets were useless. _Then-_

The van drove straight through the prison gates, snapping them off their hinges and sending both sets flying. It flew into the grass compound before coming to a slow halt in the middle of the field. The six below didn't move and I was equally as confused as they seemed to be. Whatever it was though, it was _not _good. Then, the back door fell open and walkers just _piled _out. _Oh fuck. _

There was a short burst of bullets as the Governor let out a round from his machine gun, before the man got back into his truck. The rest of his group seemed to filter away and the driver of the bread van quickly scampered, following his group as they retreated from the battle. _Leaving us with the chaos. _

"Get out of there, Rick!" I hissed down the radio. Those below quickly kicked themselves into action.

Michonne had taken her katana into hand now and was making quick work of approaching walkers. More and more just seemed to come though and with the now lack of gate, more walkers staggering in from the outside at this new prospect of food. The number was over-alarming now and I began work at picking them up from my advantage above, helping the others get to safety.

Rick got inside the yard first, making sure no walker staggered inside after him and made anything _worse _than it already was. Glenn and Michonne followed afterwards and the Dixon brothers lagged behind as they helped Axel to his feet and made his way through the crowd of growing walkers. I attempted to make a path for them, but a sight before me stopped my heart for a second and I was unable to do anything.

At first, I thought it was just a trick my eyes were playing on me. The previously still form of Toby suddenly began to twitch - visible even from my vantage point above - and there was no deceiving once apparently deceased dog rose to his feet. _Apparently now alive. _

I grinned, laughing heartedly at the sight before me. _He was alive. _My faithful companion was fine. _Or so it seemed. _

The dog stared around him for a moment before suddenly taking off at a staggering pace towards where the Dixon brothers were helping Axel into the yard. I immediately believed that the dog was just getting himself to safety, following the other's lead, though my smile suddenly began to fade when I took in the dog's form.

The force of the hit he had taken, had pretty much split through his entire side, gouging out a horrifically deadly hole in the side of the dog's thin body. _He shouldn__'__t have survived that sort of hit. No way he would have-_

I felt the urge to warn the others, as they were too preoccupied with the threat of the walkers that they didn't assume that Toby's approaching form was a threat too. That was until he had reached them and had sunk his teeth into Axel's leg. The man let out a piercing scream as the dog ripped away practically the entire lower half of his leg. The Dixons looked on shocked and both staggered under the strain of the attached, snarling, apparently dead-dog.

Conflicted, I could only watch the scene before me. Michonne and Glenn were aiding the Dixons in keeping the walkers from them as Merle and Daryl tried to haul Axel away from the dog. Toby's teeth seemed to have devoured Axel's entire leg by now and walkers closed in on the distracted pair. Axel's blood-curdling scream was enough to wake me from my resigned state and I quickly took aim with my rifle.

A single gunshot rang out and Toby's body fell limp again, this time for _good. _Tears soaked my cheeks and I watched on, defeated, as walkers over-powered the pair and as they realised that Axel's hope was lost. In one last bid of compassion, Daryl took aim with his crossbow at our fallen friend's head and ceased the pain. Axel's screams stopped short.

With nothing left now, the brothers retreated into the yard, Rick and Glenn closing the gate behind them and securing it tightly. Walkers pounded against the meshed fence but we were safe from them, _for now. _There was an eerie sort of hesitation as nothing happened between us all. Everything that had happened was just relaying over and over in our heads.

_The Governor had attacked. _

_Toby was dead. _

_Axel was dead. _

_The compound was overrun. _

Slowly, I heaved myself to my feet, with the help of the railings. I glanced quickly over the tree line and realised that the Governor probably wouldn't strike again that day. Merle was right, he was all for show. This was just the _introduction. _He'd allow us to greave the losses, take in the casualties and attempt to our establish ourselves again. _Before striking again._

A wave of pain overcame me for a moment and I glanced down at my side, taking in the blood that soaked my shirt. I lifted it gently, hissing a little, and took in the damage. Thankfully the bullet had just skimmed my side, nothing too fatal. Rick would no doubt send me to Herschel for it, but it seemed obvious that I'd pull through. Gathering my rifle, I began to make my way down the guard tower and to the others below.

"-Piece of shit!" Merle was cursing when I left the guard tower and made my way other. I wasn't sure who he was addressing, but he looked positively seething. _They all did. _Glenn was the first to notice me, double-taking at the sight of the blood that soaked my shirt.

"Er, Rick?" Glenn quickly shook the man's arm and diverted his attention away from the compound and towards me. The leader turned, a heavy glare on his face, before his expression softened, eyeing up the blood.

"Don't worry, it just skimmed my side." I assured them all. "I'll go see Herschel when we go back inside." Rick nodded once, turning back to the crowd of walkers on the other side of the fence.

"Axel-" Glenn trailed off, the sound of the man's name striking a cord throughout the group. "We can't even bury him." A considerable amount of the walkers inside the compound were already making quick work on Axel's body, my stomach wincing at the sight of our _friend__'__s _inners being ripped apart and clawed at.

"Like I said, this is only the _start._" Merle muttered. "Those weren't his full numbers. So that means, he's still gotta throw the _army _at us. Ya sure ya ready for that, Officer?" Rick eyed the man, evenly, before looking away and turning towards the overrun compound. The man seemed unable to talk for a moment, though the sound of the radio cracking cut through the group.

"_What__'__s happening up there, guys? The bullets have stopped, is everything alright?__" _Andrea's voice asked quickly. The radio in Rick's pocket remains untouched and I raised my own to reply.

"The Governor and his men have gone for now. _Show's over._" _Some show__…_

"_Is everyone alright?_" Her voice seemed desperate now and no doubt everyone else that remained in the cell block were gathered around to listen. This time, Rick answered for me.

"Axel's dead, so is Toby." Rick responded shortly. "The compound is overrun with walkers, the main gates have been destroyed and we've lost access to one of the guard towers including the security that the fences provided. And on top of all this, Ruby's been shot, so Herschel better be ready to treat her, because we're heading back inside. Sasha and Tyreese, come out; you're on watch." A pause. "There's your attack, Andrea._ You happy now_?" Instead of waiting to see if Andrea would respond, Rick handed the radio to Glenn and marched towards the entrance into the prison. The rest of us paused, watching our leader retreat and glancing awkwardly at each other. We swiftly followed him though, a morbid feeling over-whelming everyone.

_Another comrade had fallen. _

_Another was added to the list. _

…

Herschel got to work quickly on my wounded side, expressing that it wasn't much to worry about. Apparently I was right about the bullet just skimming the skin. The old farmer removed any shrapnel residue before wrapping a bandage in place, telling me that he'd have to change it to stop infection but otherwise I would live. I could only smile weakly in return before leaving to rest. _I was exhausted to say the least. _Those who had also had to fight were also resting too and the others took it in turns on watch while everyone resumed full health again and slept.

Rick gathered a group discussion as soon as, it seemed, I woke up. Everyone gathered in the main area, besides Lori and the children, who were in the security room, and Maggie and Glenn, who were on watch. At first, no one spoke. All eyes were on Rick as we all anticipated the man to start, though he seemed hesitant. Finally he sighed.

"We _thought_ we were ready." Rick began slowly. "We thought we were prepared. Yesterday's events told us otherwise." He paused, looping his thumb through his belt. "What happened yesterday wasn't even the brutality of what's coming our way, yesterday was just a _taste _of what's to come."

"Axel lost his life because of it." Andrea muttered, her eyes downcast as the leader glanced harshly at her. "I don't understand why we're still _here._ If that's only a 'taste of what's to come' then why are we still sticking around?"

"No point in runnin' now." Merle replied, shortly. "Gov's probably got patrols all around this place by now. Ain't any way we're gettin' out of this prison without a fight." Andrea stared incredulously, as did many others at this revelation.

"So, that's it then? We're trapped in this God forsaken place, just waiting to be _executed?_" She asked, eyeing Merle and Rick. The former shrugged, while the latter remained silent.

"If we run now, we'll be gunned down. His boys on the road are no doubt ordered to kill anyone who tries to pass by. The only chance ya got, blondie, of runnin' from this place is runnin' when the bullets start flyin'. Most of the Governor's men will be occupied in the fight, so ya can get out easier that way." Merle shrugged. "That's if ya plan on runnin'." Andrea took in this information and nodded thoughtfully.

"Or we can stand and fight." Rick added, holding his stance strong. "We _still _have a chance against these people. Yes, we lost Axel, but we _won__'__t _let that mistake happen again. Next time, we'll be prepared for what he throws at us."

"We've lost the compound, Rick." Andrea returned, calmly. "You said it yourself, that makes us a tower down and the entire field is overrun with walkers which sure won't help us a great deal. All they succeed in doing, is _trapping_ us in here." She held up her hands, halting Rick's response. "I just think we should _consider _another option to _fighting _with these people."

"Ya wanna propose a truce with these people?" Daryl muttered, sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest. "We could all live happily in _Woodbury _perhaps? I hear they're hospitable." Andrea sent the younger Dixon a glare.

"Fuck you, Dixon-!"

"Watch ya mouth when ya talk to my brother, blondie-!"

"_Hey guys?__" _Glenn's voice cut through all further remarks, as he spoke through the radio that connected him and Maggie to the cell block. The walkie-talkie sat on the table beside Rick and the leader reached forward, taking the device with a frown.

"Everything alright, Glenn?" He asked. My stomach filled with dread at the thought of another attack. _So soon? _

"_I think you guys should come outside, Rick. You__'__re going to want to see this.__" _He didn't sound terrified or in danger. He merely sounded confused. Rick glanced around at the group with a frown.

"Better go see what the Chinamen is talkin' 'bout." Merle muttered, ready to move out the cell block, patting his younger brother on the back as he passed him. Daryl rolled his eyes at the man.

"It's _Korean_, asshole." Daryl responded, which only earned himself a replying snort.

"Herschel-"

"I'll stay with Lori and the children, Rick." The old man nodded, already making his way up the stairs. Rick smiled gratefully at the man before everyone moved out quickly.

If it was an attack, then we were all wary but _accepting. _We may not be ready but judging by the looks on some of the faces, people we _accepting_ the fight. Andrea's face trembled amongst the rest, but she still followed everyone out. I could at least give her credit for her loyalty to the group.

The walk outside was filled with terror and with each step I knew it mounted heavier. What we would find outside left an ambiguous feeling amongst the group and though no one spoke, the feeling was communal. _Was this to be the final battle? Would this be what decided each of our fates? _

I found myself at the back of the group, hissing to myself when my recent wound tugged a little. Daryl lagged back with me, glancing at me when my strangled hisses of pain caught his ear. He would raise an eyebrow and I would smile in return, assuring the man that I would be fine. We walked in compatible silence.

I snuck myself glances up at the hunter when he wasn't looking and I silently pondered over what Merle had brought to my attention. _It may be too late by then. _As much as I hated to admit it, the man was right. Suppressing whatever feelings I thought I had for the man beside me until after the threat had passed could wind up being a decision I would regret. _One of us perhaps might not make it out. Neither of us maybe? _

Any courage to bring the subject to Daryl's attention however was cut short as Rick led the group out into the open air and all thoughts were pushed out of my mind then. _Focus. _I gripped the sniper rifle in hand, ready to rush to one of the towers if ordered to.

Glenn was on the ground, standing in the middle of the yard ready to greet us, Maggie appeared to still be up in the guard tower. The young Korean quickly rushed over and leapt to Rick's side, a curious look on his face. There didn't appear to be any danger.

"Glenn?" Rick urged, his eyes darting around cautiously, his hand on his gun belt hesitantly. Glenn glanced over his shoulder toward the gates that separated the yard and the overrun compound.

"A couple of men are approaching the prison, one of them is armed though we're not sure about the other one. He looks pretty weedy, to be honest." Glenn explained briefly. "We've checked the area and it just appears to be them."

"The walkers will take care of 'em." Daryl pointed out, nodding to the compound that held over three dozen walkers by now. Glenn shook his head once, turning to Rick again.

"I think I saw one of them in Woodbury, Rick." He muttered, making the leader to suddenly. I saw Rick's jaw harden as he turned back to everyone quickly.

"Andrea, get yourself in that guard tower. Glenn, get Maggie and get yourselves to some substantial cover. Ruby, Merle, Michonne and Daryl, you're on me. Everyone else follow Glenn and ready yourselves." Rick quickly ordered. Without a moment's pause, Glenn had rushed off to get Maggie and everyone else scampered, leaving the four of us that Rick instructed to stay with the leader.

Rick marched quickly towards the gates and we followed obediently. I was confused for a moment, wondering why Rick had not ordered me up into one of the guard towers, but followed the small group quickly.

"Michonne, Daryl, take care of the walkers gathering at the gates." Rick muttered and the pair got to work.

"What's the plan, Officer?" Merle asked, tightening the strap to his bayonet.

"See what they want." Rick replied.

"'Nd kill 'em?" Merle sneered, earning himself a scowl from Rick. The suggestion wasn't argued though and I shied away when Rick turned my way.

"Get ready to run for a tower if necessary. I'm keeping you on show so if the Governor's watching then he can't have the satisfaction of thinking you're dead." I nodded slowly, frowning at the man's logic, but remaining by his side.

Michonne and Daryl had cleared out the majority of the walkers gathered at the gate and now the approaching pair were visible as they neared the yard gates. I wondered how on earth they had managed in through the compound, but then saw the _pet _they dragged along with them. A walker, with no arms or jaw, was dragged along, bound by the neck. It staggered obediently forward and in its presence the rest of the dead in the compound appeared to ignore the prospect of food that was passing them by. _Curious? _

I recognised one of them instantly and staggered back a little, reliving memories. _Martinez. _Rick glanced down at me, a concerned expression, and I nodded once in return.

"They're from Woodbury, alright." I informed the man. Rick's expression darkened with understanding and he marched closer to the gate. Glancing up at Merle, I saw the man's face hard as a stone, as he set eyes on Martinez and his companion.

Martinez's friend was just as Glenn had described him; _weedy. _He looked far from capable of managing himself and stumbled aimlessly as Martinez led the way toward the yard gates. The man's eyes darted at the dead around them, behind his glasses, and I knew that the man was probably wishing to be anywhere else but here right now. _Curious, _I hadn't seen this man at Woodbury.

"You gonna let us in?" Martinez hollered when they reached the gates. He and his companion backed up against the fence, waiting for a reply. Rick eyed them suspiciously.

"Why are you here?" Rick asked, firmly. Martinez snorted.

"Let us in, man, we ain't got time for talking right now!" His plea seemed desperate as the pair's ticket through the compound seemed to be waring off now as several walkers seemed to have sussed them out and were eyeing them hungrily.

"Rick?" I muttered, cautiously, wondering if the man would willingly allow the men to get torn to pieces before our very eyes.

A part of me wished he would, _Martinez especially. _Though no part of me was surprised when Rick nodded once at Daryl and the hunter opened the gates quickly. Martinez and his friend fell back into the yard and scrambled for safety as the dead attempted to close in. Michonne secured the gates again and all so quickly, the Dixon brothers had both men pinned to one of the fences and weapons were discarded quickly.

Martinez appeared to be taken by surprise so Merle was able to take his weapons from him without too much trouble. When the man got his bearings though, he took a swing at Merle, but was tackled to the ground by the older Dixon and had landed himself a fist in the jaw. His companion was much more compliant and allowed Daryl to frisk him and discard the single gun he had before brushing himself down afterwards.

"Nice to see you too, Merle." Martinez muttered through his sore jaw. His eyes glanced around before they landed on Michonne and I. "Ahh, girls! Good to see you again!" Daryl raised his crossbow instantly and held the butt of it against the man's head. "You not going to tell me how you've been, Merle? Suppose we've got a lot to catch up on-"

"Get to it, spit fuck." Merle hissed. "The fuck ya doin' here?"

"We're here to deliver a message from the Governor." His nameless friend supplied. Merle scoffed.

"Ya still the Governor's fuck buddy, huh, Milton?" _Milton? _I recognised that name - the Governor had mentioned a Milton, a scientist who was trying to cure Penny, _I think_. The man, Milton, eyed Merle with distaste.

"The Governor wishes for me to deliver the message to the_ leader_ of the group." He informed us, his eyes darting amongst us, lingering amongst the three men as he tried to distinguish the dominant one between them.

"I'm the leader." Rick declared, his jaw hardening. Milton nodded once.

"He wishes to set up a meeting between the pair of you." He continued, addressing Rick solely now. "To discuss the situation that we've found ourselves in. He wishes to spare any unnecessary bloodshed." A pause. "We don't want to start a war with you people." There was a communal scoff.

"Then what was that yesterday?" Rick demanded, harshly. "You attack _our_ prison, kill and injure _our _people, destroy _our _security? If that's not you wanting to start a war then what the fuck was that?!" Milton swallowed involuntary and glanced awkwardly at Martinez. The man shrugged, carelessly.

"I didn't know about that." Milton tried, slowly, his eyes narrowing as he met Martinez's gaze again. "But I suppose the Governor wishes to solve the situation before anyone else is killed. We can come to an agreement."

"Man, you 'nd I know that's the biggest bullshit ever." Merle muttered, folding his arms and stepping dangerously close to Milton. "Ya suggestin' that the Governor is _willing _to call a truce?"

"We've lost people too. _Your_ people have killed a lot of good men of ours." Milton argued, though shied away from the man's heavy glare. "He just wants to keep the safety of his people secure." Merle scoffed.

"_You're_ the ones who started this." Rick hissed. "You're the ones who took _our _people!" Martinez's eyes turned to me instantly and he stared long and hard before bowing his head in almost shame. "I think you have made it pretty clear what your intentions are after yesterday-"

"Yesterday was just a _warning_." Martinez piped up, eyeing the leader harshly. "Just to show you what you're up against. So you don't blindly go into this war with the falsehood of thinking you'll actually _win._" Milton grimaced slightly before coughing awkwardly to attempt to clear the growing tension.

"Tomorrow at noon." He began. "There's an old mill - Merle should know where I mean." The man in question nodded briefly. "The Governor wishes for _you _to attend," He nodded to Rick at this. "He'll talk to you alone. You're able to bring along two others for security if you wish. _Only two others though. _The Governor will do the same and will attend with Martinez and myself." Rick's eyes narrowed at this request.

"How do we know we can trust you'll uphold _your _half of the agreement?"

"You don't." Martinez shrugged. "But we don't know if _you _will either. But that's the deal we're giving you."

"That's it?" Daryl muttered, eyeing the pair. Milton nodded slowly, glancing around the yard.

"Judging by the look of your defences, I think this is an offer that you should _seriously_ consider taking." He stated, slowly.

"We can hold our own, _thank you_." Rick sneered and Martinez snorted.

"Like you held your own yesterday too?" He countered, sarcastically. The butt of the crossbow jutted against his head and he eyed the hunter darkly. "You people are dreaming if you think that your childlike defences and fake-army tactics will stop us from killing every last one of you. You're starting a fight, you can_not _win."

"Leave us to be the judge of that." Rick muttered.

"Well, unless you're hiding an entire army in there then I think you've got cause to be concerned." Martinez replied, glancing around. "I see you've got- _what- _ten people out here. Is that everyone?"

"We've got plenty more inside, don't ya worry." Merle sniggered, a smirk on his face when Martinez looked his way. The Dixon seemed to hold his own well behind the lie and Martinez's cocky demeanour faltered a little.

"It better be _plenty, _because that's what you'll be needing." Martinez muttered in return, both men squaring off against on another.

"We best be heading back now-" Milton made to leave, though the blade of Michonne's katana was suddenly thrust into his face. She eyed Rick, hesitantly, awaiting an order from the man. I watched as Rick contemplated his options; he could easily just kill the pair of them now _- two less to worry about_. But Rick didn't seem to have will to do it, I noticed as I took in the man's expression. Milton and Martinez seemed wary as they waited for the leader's reply but relaxed when Rick nodded once at Michonne.

Merle looked ready to protest and made a point of holding tightly onto Martinez's weapons when the man demanded them back. Instead, Merle returned the man's single knife back to him.

"We'll be keepin' the guns. Could come in handy in the _near _future." Merle smirked, throwing the semi-automatic rifle to his brother to keep hold of. Martinez seethed at the man, but didn't argue. _He wasn__'__t exactly in the position to argue anyway. _

"What shall I tell the Governor?" Milton asked, slowly, glancing at Rick. The man shrugged, an attempt of carelessness.

"That we'll consider the offer." Rick replied and Milton nodded.

"If you don't show up then he'll take that as an initiative to engage in this fight." Milton informed him, raising an eyebrow in an attempt to scare our leader. Rick in return just nodded.

"Yeah, I got that." He sneered. Milton seemed conflicted for a moment, glancing between the small group of us, seemingly wanting to say something else. Michonne answered for him and urged him towards the gates. Martinez hesitated before following, sending a heavy glare at Merle.

"Perhaps, we'll see each other again, Merle?" He sniggered. "Maybe I'll take your other hand for a sovereign?" Merle scoffed.

"Maybe I'll take ya _head_? Got a nice spot above the fire that would suit it nicely." The Dixon brother countered. Martinez glared once more at him.

Before Martinez left, he paused and turned to me. I was startled by the sudden pitiful look that stretched across the man's face and I couldn't help the memories that bulged at the sight of Martinez. The beatings that he had inflicted, the torture that he had interrupted-

"I'm sorry." My eyes widened at the confession that were barely spoken from the man's lips. I was in shock. _He__'__s sorry? _"I'm- I'm sorry for what he did to you. I didn't know that he was going to-" Martinez cut himself off, swallowing hard and glancing at Milton hesitantly before turning back to me. "_I__'__m sorry._" With that, the man made his way towards his friend at the gate and readied his knife as Michonne prepared to let them out.

I was in complete daze for a moment, not truly grasping that _Martinez, _the man that had inflicted a large proportion of my beatings at Woodbury, had apologised to me. _I knew exactly what for. _Glancing to where Michonne was opening the gate for them, I was glad she was out of earshot. _She had had it worse at the hands of the Governor. _Though obviously Martinez was ignorant to _her _treatment.

Though, just because Michonne was _not _in earshot, didn't mean that the other three weren't. I glanced at Merle first and wasn't surprised to see the confusion behind the man's gaze - _he had no idea what had_ really _happened_ _in Woodbury. _I would no doubt get bombarded with questions later down the line for it now. I then noticed how tightly clenched Rick's fists had become and when I met the leader's gaze, I saw the over-whelming darkness behind them as I knew he was jumping to assuming conclusions again. _I should set him straight on the matter, _soon. Daryl's reaction was the one that pained me the most. I glanced awkwardly at the hunter and saw only the conflicted, self-loathing behind the man's gaze. _He blamed himself, hated himself a thousand times over. _No doubt, Martinez's apology had set him into doubt again about what had _actually _happened. Just seeing the three men and their reactions, over-whelmed me and I had to quickly leave their presence, not even bothering to explain myself.

_I just needed to leave. _

"Oh and girl!" Martinez's voice hollered, stopping me short. I glanced over my shoulder, hesitantly. "Sorry about killing your dog too." _Toby, oh God, Toby. _Michonne quickly shut the gate on them and made quick work at securing it again.

At the mention of Toby, and the over-whelming memories that began to cloud me, I began to close in on myself. _Burning, itching. _I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to rid the ghost touch that lingered down my back and the sickeningly cool touch of _his _lips on my skin. _God, I felt revolting, disgusting. _The images of Toby's dead body followed on, then the way he returned to life again and caused Axel's death. No matter how hard I tried to think, I couldn't rid the last images of my faithful dog out of my mind. I urged myself to remember him as my side-along companion that had followed me throughout the outbreak, but could only see the demonic creature that ripped Axel's leg apart with its gnashing jaws and led to the man's horrific demise.

"Ruby?" Michonne was suddenly before and her face swam into view, though she appeared too close for comfort. I felt her attempt to grip my arms, to steady me, but I shoved her away quickly, suddenly feeling the full force of claustrophobia. Her _contact _didn't help either, they just _reminded _me.

"Don't touch me." I urged, desperately, staggering back from her. She frowned, though didn't make another move at me. Immediately, I felt horrendous. _Michonne__'__s _ordeal had been worse than mine and here I was _breaking and crumbling_, while she remained strong and together. _She understood this feeling though. _She _must _understand this feeling of self-disgust and self-revolt. For it was _all_ that clouded _my _mind.

Over Michonne's shoulder, I saw the others observing the exchange curiously. Though I found no patience for their sympathy. _I sure didn__'__t deserve it. _So I quickly, reached for my side and muttered something about seeing Herschel before rushing back inside the prison, in need to clear my head.

* * *

What could only be described as a ball of fur bounded towards me and I let out a yelp of surprise as the tiny _thing _jumped up onto my lap. Immediately the puppy began to lap at my face, its bristly tongue tickling my face, and I couldn't help but giggle like a deluded child.

"Your birthday present." Mark - _my boyfriend at the time _- informed me from the doorway. He observed the assault with a fond grin of his own.

"It's _mine?_" I muttered, astonished. _This little creature was mine now? _

"Technically, it's a _he._" Mark muttered, crouching down in front of me run a hand over the puppy's head. "It's a German Shepherd, got him from a lad from work. His dog just recently gave birth and I had been hounding him about buying one of it's pups since I found out she was pregnant. I got first pick."

"I can't believe you got me a _dog _for my birthday! Thank you so much, Mark!" I gushed, kissing the man on the cheek before returning my affections to the puppy in my lap. Mark merely laughed.

"Yep, he's yours to keep." He informed me. "You got a name for him? Because I've just been calling him 'puppy' for the past week." I lifted the dog's head and examined it as he stared up at me with big, round eyes. There was a brief hesitation before the puppy attacked me again, lapping up my cheek with its tongue. _It was adorable. _

"Toby." I confirmed, finally. "His name is _Toby._" Mark grinned and patted the puppy - newly christened Toby - lightly on the nose and gently turning to dog to face him.

"You better take care of her, _Toby_, you hear." He urged with a smile. "She's very special, so you better look after her."

* * *

_You better look after her. _

And that's just what Toby did. He complied obediently to Mark's wishes, even when the pair of us have separated and had gone different ways. Toby remained obedient to the man and became a faithful, almost _guardian _to me.

_And now he was gone. _

I had goaded to Herschel's fussing and had allowed the man to take a look at my wound again and readdress the bandage. By the time he had finished, Rick and the others had returned inside and Michonne and Tyreese had taken watch over from Glenn and Maggie. I made all attempts to avoid the others, keeping myself in Lori and Herschel's companies in the safety of the security room and only ventured out when I wished to rest on my cell.

The next morning, I found that it was my turn on watch duty later on that day. _With Daryl. _I had deceivingly ventured out earlier, not waiting for the hunter, and only informing Rick that I was going to relieve Michonne and Tyreese from their duty. The man had observed me with concern before nodding and telling me he'd inform Daryl when the hunter woke.

I was so caught up in my turmoil of thoughts that I didn't even process the dishevelled state of Michonne and Tyreese when I found the pair, how flustered they both seemed at my early arrival. I hadn't even noticed that Tyreese's shirt was inside out until I watched the pair retreat inside and I noticed the man's label clearly. _Huh. _

I found myself, however, standing in front of the yard gates, looking out across the overrun yard. No walkers were gathered around the gates and I guessed it was due to the boredom of waiting. They hadn't cottoned onto my presence yet so I could stare out across the compound without being disrupted.

My eyes lingered on the remains of Axel's body - nothing more than just a mess of blood and bones now; the walkers had sure devoured everything they could from him. The sight made me sick, _even more than I already was._ His last, echoing screams haunted my dreams the night before and I couldn't rid the horrific plunge of my stomach as I saw the whole thing unfold before me. Watching from the sidelines now, days on, the attack two days previous seemed to relive itself again. Gunshots echoed in my ears; screams, orders, the sounds of the radio crackling. _It was like I was there again. _

The sniper rifle I had brought with me, rested in my arms and was a heavy weight - _a heavy burden. _It was Shane's rifle, Rick had informed me that it seemed more fitting that _I__'__d _take ownership over it, rather than Andrea. Apparently Shane had informed Rick that he was quite impressed with my quick learning and had even admitted that I was one of his better students. _Fancy that. _Though that didn't outweigh the fact that the weapon I held, was a dead man's gun.

The last bullet I had fired from this rifle too, had been to cease the life of a creature who had been by my side ever since their youth as a puppy. Pulling the trigger of Toby sent a heavy feeling against my chest and remembering that scene before me only made my heart clench again.

I had cried plenty since Toby's death. I had seen Sophia and Carl cry too, the pair devastated at the news of their pet's death. Thankfully, everyone had left out the part about me _putting him down. _I didn't think I'd be able to face their hurt expressions if they knew what had _really _happened. _He had died being a valiant mutt, _Daryl had informed them.

Toby's corpse had been chewed at too, and seemed only a tuft of fur, bones and some inners left. _That was all that was left of my old friend. _

I registered the footsteps that approached me, but didn't need to turn around to know who they belonged to. They stopped beside me and nothing was said for a while, though I knew that there appeared to be a growing tension in the space between us.

"Merle 'nd I had a dog once." Daryl began, slowly. "Scrawny little Wolfhound, he was. Used to scare the kids of our neighbourhood, 'cos he was a mean lookin' son of a bitch." A pause as Daryl chuckled briefly. "Wouldn't hurt a damn fly though. We used to take him out huntin' with us, trained him to track 'nd beat. Pretty smart dog."

"What was his name?" I asked, glancing up at the hunter. There was a small, distant smile on his face as he relived the memories.

"Duke." He informed me, meeting my gaze. I returned a small smile to him.

"As in, _The Dukes of Hazzard? _How very hillbilly." Daryl snorted and shook his head.

"Ain't 'cos of that." He told me. "Merle found him on the streets; Duke was a stray. That was just on the collar. Merle wanted to name him Lucifer or Satan; just to piss of the neighbourhood even more. But I said it would just confuse him, so we kept to Duke."

"_Lucifer? Satan? _How very _typical _of him." I muttered and Daryl nodded in agreement. There was a moment of silence and Daryl bowed his head.

"Duke got old though, he grew weak." He began, carefully. _I knew where this was leading_. "We'd still take him out huntin' with us; whenever we tried leavin' him at home, he'd just whine. He didn't like gettin' left alone. But I think we tired him out pretty quick, pretty soon." A pause. "One day, we were out on a hunt 'nd we stopped to rest. Duke laid down to rest too 'nd just-" Daryl swallowed hard. "He just didn't wake up." The hunter met my eyes and smiled sadly. "It _sucks, _I know." I let out a bitter laugh, one that was laced with tears.

"I feel silly crying over a _dog._" I admitted, wiping the straying tears. Daryl shrugged.

"Don't be." He murmured. "Toby was a smart dog. 'Nd I thought _Duke _was smart, though I reckon Toby took the top prize."

"He took care of me when we were on the road, Daryl." I breathed. "He was the only thing that kept me going and now he's _gone._" Daryl didn't reply for a moment.

"Guess we owe that dog a thousand thanks for keepin' ya safe 'nd bringin' ya to us. But I suppose now you've got _other _things to keep ya goin' now? Toby may be gone, but ya will be _alright_." A pause. "Won't ya?" I met the hunter's gaze, one full of intense scrutiny and imploration.

_Other things to keep me going. _

I smiled softly at the hunter and nodded, glad that the insecurity behind his gaze disappeared when I did. Bravely, I reached out and curled my hand into his, relishing his warm skin and surprised myself by not flinching at the instant of physical contact. Daryl raised his eyebrow briefly but squeezed my hand back, his lips upturning a little at the corner.

Together, we stared out across the compound in silence, hand in hand. I tried to surpass the remains of Axel and Toby and tried to push away the thoughts that had been clouding me the day before. With the warmth of Daryl's hand in mine, this was an easy task. Involuntarily, I found myself leaning a head against Daryl's shoulder, in need of the comfort. Daryl didn't shy away and we merely continued in an understanding silence.

_Toby was gone, yes. _

_But I__'__d be alright._

* * *

_(Author's Note): This one is a little later than usual! No excuses really, I'm just a rubbish author! :) Thank you all for the reviews for the previous chapter, the response was great! Please tell me what you think of this one. _

_Yes, most of the inspiration for this chapter comes from the episode 'Home' in the series - with the Governor attacking the prison, driving the van in etc, but hopefully my take on it was a little different. My action writing is pretty poor so sorry about that! _

_Axel's dead! And Toby! Dear Lord, I bet most people had forgotten about him! ;) I know that I've probably dramatised Ruby's reactions to Toby's death a lot more than I have any human death, but considering that she has been with Toby since the very start, I really think his death would hit her hard. I know what it's like when a pet dies (especially a dog) and I've hopefully divulged some influence from experience. Don't worry though, she won't be moping too long, but I think Toby deserved a little bit more consideration for his death. _

_A huge shout out to _Lupe Rouge _who has created more work for this fiction and to _carniwhore _who has also created some amazing work for _Loginquitas. _The links to these and all of this fiction's fanwork are on my profile. I urge you to take a look! Thank you to those who have created for this story, you're all amazing. _

_Again, thanks for the reviews and fingers crossed I'll have an update up ASAP. What did you guys think of the latest installment? _


	44. Chapter Forty Three

_Chapter Forty Three_

Before Rick left to meet the Governor, a small clear up job had been put forward so it was easier to get in and out of the prison when necessary. The usual suspects remained inside the prison; Lori, Herschel and the kids, while everyone else geared up and waited out in the yard for Rick's orders. Daryl and I still remained in the guard tower, still technically on watch.

"Who do you reckon Rick will take with him?" I mused, glancing at the hunter leaning over the railing beside me. Daryl shrugged.

"Probably me." He offered, meeting my gaze. "Merle wants to go too, I think, but Rick won't let him." I nodded in understanding. Letting Merle at the Governor didn't seem like such a good idea, especially considering the man was a loose canon. Though I could imagine that this didn't bode well for the Dixon brother. _He sure didn__'__t like getting told what to do. _

"Everything alright with you both?" I asked. My question made Daryl snort before he shrugged a little, glancing at the group below and training his eyes on his older brother.

"He doesn't like it 'ere, keeps tryin' to tell me that we should just leave." Daryl admitted, which shocked me a little. _Merle wanted to leave? _"I know he's been a hassle with everyone in the group, startin' fights 'nd argument 'nd whatever. I think he's pretty sick of dealin' with everyone too." I raised an eyebrow at this.

"He's complying a lot with Rick at the moment." I pointed out. "He's providing useful strategic tips for us." Daryl turned to me and smiled sadly.

"Yeah, but that's 'cos Rick 'nd him have the same goal." Daryl muttered. "_Get rid of the Governor._ Merle is usin' the group to achieve that. That's the only reason why he's bein' helpful to Rick. To Merle, Rick's still the asshole that handcuffed him to the roof. He ain't _ever _gonna forget that." I sighed and glanced down at the older Dixon brother, who seemed to be picking at fight with Glenn and Maggie at the moment. The pair didn't seem too amused, while Merle was grinning evidently from where Daryl and I stood.

"Should we be worried about him?" I asked, quietly. _Is he a threat to the group?, _was my silent question that hung between us. Daryl remained silent for a moment, apparently musing over my question.

"He ain't gonna do anything. He knows he's got it good _here. _He's got help to kill the Governor."

"But what happens when the Governor is gone?" I countered. "Will he cause problems then, do you think?" This time, Daryl didn't seem to have an answer immediately. He was interrupted though when Tyreese made his way up the guard towers stairs and greeted us both with a smile.

"Rick wanted me to take over, while you two go help below." Tyreese explained. Daryl nodded, hauling his crossbow over his shoulders and leaving, patting Tyreese on the back as he left. I made to follow, though Tyreese quickly held out his hand to stop me. "Can I have a word with you, Ruby, please?" Over his shoulder, Daryl stopped and observed the man. "I'll be real quick." I nodded once, before smiling at the hunter over his shoulder; telling him that it was alright. Daryl nodded in return and left, his footsteps echoing down the stairs. I turned to man before me.

"What's up?" I asked, smiling slightly. Tyreese's smile faltered a little and the man moved to lean over the railings, his expression thoughtful.

"This group has been real good to my sister and I." Tyreese began slowly. "You took us in, didn't have to, and have become to treat us like one of your own."

"That's because you _are._" I said, softly. Tyreese smiled warmly at me.

"I suppose _you _more than others know what it's like to come into a new group, having to earn their trust and your place." I nodded in agreement. Suddenly Tyreese bowed his head. "When we first found out about this Governor guy, Sasha and I considered just leaving." I was stunned by this revelation and frowned when the man looked my way. He smiled sadly. "I know, it was cowardly of us. After everything you have all done for us. We were just so scared though. Hearing your stories about this guy gave us a lot to think about."

"You are under no imprisonment here, Tyreese, despite our location." I began, slowly. "You are under _no _obligation to stay here if you don't want to. Rick will understand." Tyreese shook his head.

"Thank you, Ruby, but Sasha and I have decided now to stay." He admitted. I tilted my head thoughtfully.

"What changed your mind?" I asked, softly. Immediately, Tyreese's gaze turned to the group below and I knew straight away his answer. A slow smile crept onto my face as the man seemed reluctant to answer. He met my gaze again, bashfully, and began to rub the back of his head in an awkward manner. "Would a better question be _who _changed your mind?" Tyreese chuckled shyly.

"Is it that obvious?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Being close to _Michonne_, I pick up on things easier than the rest of the group would do. Plus it doesn't help that you guys forget to dress properly after you- er- you know-" I trailed off, smirking when Tyreese became increasingly more awkward. He coughed loudly when I mentioned the mishap I had found the pair in earlier that morning. "Don't worry, you guys' secret is safe with me." A pause. "And Merle."

"Ahh, he knows too, huh?" I nodded in reply. "That's what I kind of came to talk about, really. _Michonne_."

"If you've come to ask me about her feelings for you, then you've come to wrong place. Michonne isn't the kind of woman who discusses her feelings, even to _me._" Tyreese shook his head and laughed a little.

"That's not what I meant." He replied. "It's about Michonne and _Merle._" I raised an eyebrow at the odd implication. "Were they ever-" He trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. I began to laugh at the suggestion. _Michonne and Merle! _The sentiment amused me to no end. When I met Tyreese's gaze though, I saw nothing but seriousness behind them and my laughter died.

"There's nothing or ever was going on between them, I promise you." I assured the man quickly. "Michonne isn't exactly Merle's-" A pause. "_Type._" Tyreese raised an eyebrow but I didn't elaborate. "There's no need to be feeling insecure about anything, Tyreese." He nodded slowly.

"It's just, ever since Michonne and I-" He swallowed and thankfully didn't go into details. "I guessed you and Merle would know and I've been getting some weird looks from the man ever since."

"Don't mind him, that's just Merle's face." I muttered, Tyreese smiled a little.

"Weirder than normal." Tyreese continued. "Since he came here, Merle has pretty much steered clear of me, but recently he's been trying to pick a lot of fights with me, some for no reason at all. I know he's a hostile man, but I'm not one to get involved with situations like that, so I've tried to avoid him. I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't being like this to me because of Michonne." I thought over Tyreese's comments for a while, glancing down to the others briefly before sighing.

"I can talk to him, if you want? See what his problem is." I suggested. Tyreese shrugged.

"I don't want to cause a fight, I just wanted to clear some things up." He told me quickly. I nodded once before smiling at the man.

"I'm going to head down and join the others." I informed him. Tyreese nodded and returned my smiled, fully. "And if it's any consolation, I think you'll be good for her." Tyreese raised an eyebrow at my comment. "You're a nice guy, Tyreese. Just take care of her." Tyreese nodded slowly, his eyes so full of sincerity. With that, I left the man to join the others.

Rick enforced a simple plan, to clear the yard a little so it was easier for him and whoever else to leave later that day to meet the Governor. Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Glenn were going to take the yard, while Merle, Maggie, Sasha and myself ran the perimeter to distract walkers and take some out ourselves. Tyreese and Andrea provided watch in two guard towers, while we did so. Incase the Governor decided to spring a surprise attack. _Unlikely, but possible. _

Maggie and Sasha paired off, taking on section of the perimeter, leaving me with Merle - as the other two were both adamant that they would _not _be paired with him. Merle remained unphased and joined me in the distraction. The group moved into the yard and we began to attempt a clear out. It was obvious that they _all _could not be taken down, more would enter the yard anyway through the broken fences, but Rick wanted to thin them out so we weren't completely _trapped _inside the prison.

"Y'know, should be _me _goin' to see the Governor today with Officer Friendly." Merle muttered, using his bayonet to impale a walker's head through the meshed fence. I glanced at the man, taking in his violent expression.

"You and I both know that if _you _went today, you'd do all in your power to take the guys head off." I replied, stabbing a walker through the head with my knife. Merle chuckled darkly, patting my back as he ran down the perimeter fence a little further, the walkers on the other side of the fence followed his movements with hungry eyes.

"'Nd that's the plan Officer Friendly should be makin'!" Merle cried. "What use is attemptin' to bargain with the Governor? _We _know what kinda man he is. He ain't gonna be willing to make no deals with us, when he knows that he could just slaughter the lot of us if he wanted to." A pause.

"So you don't think we have any chance against him?" I asked, quietly. Merle frowned, ignoring my question for a moment to take out another walker before slowly returning to my side.

"I thought we did before, but not after the last attack." Merle admitted, leaning close, as if he was afraid anyone would hear him.

"We weren't prepared-"

"We can _never _be prepared for him!" Merle hissed, eyes flaring. I started back at his intensity. "Ain't any point makin' more tactical plans. We 'ave _two _options now. One; we focus all our attention on assassinatin' the Governor. We get rid of him, Woodbury is _no _threat. Without the Governor, Woodbury is _nothing._"

"And two?" I breathed. Merle smirked thinly.

"Then we listen to Blondie's words 'nd _run._" Abruptly, Merle turned away and continued his way down the perimeter, taking out walkers on his way. He paused once to chuckle darkly. "Chinaman nearly got bit." He nodded into the yard and I turned to see Rick helping Glenn up, as Michonne battled off approaching walkers around the pair. "Real shame Officer Friendly was on hand, things could 'ave got interestin'." I glared at the man.

"Why do you do that?" I demanded, stopping Merle short. He glanced over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Just havin' fun, girly."

"Well it isn't _fun_, Merle." I muttered, remembering the conversations I had just had with Daryl and Tyreese earlier on. "Why do you insist on picking fights with these people? Why do you have to continuingly make things more difficult than they need to be?" Merle paused before his expression grew dark, one I recognised from those he seemed to constantly wear in Woodbury. I started, though tried to remain strong under his heavy gaze.

"Ya think I care 'bout makin' things _easy_ for these people?" Merle hissed.

"Well, considering you're part of this group now, I think you should start to care!" I retorted. Merle stepped closer.

"I ain't ever been or ever will be 'part of this group'!" Merle cried. "I owe you people nothing! I don't _need _to be here!"

"Then _why_ are you?" I asked. "Oh, I'll tell you why! Because of _Daryl_. Of me, of Michonne." Merle stepped closer. "And guess what, Merle, we _are _part of this group. What are you gaining by hurting these people?"

"The fuck's got ya panties in a twist, girly?" Merle sneered, glaring down at me.

"I'm sick of you treating this group like shit!" Merle's expression darkened.

"_Me _treatin' _them _like shit?" He hissed. "What 'bout how they're treatin' _me?_! It ain't been easy for me either with those people! Not exactly a damn walk in the park! Now, you tell me, girl, what the fuck is it that I'm meant to 'ave done, huh?! _I saved ya life_! _I _did, not _them!_"

"They're cautious around you because you were _with_ the Governor, Merle. You causing fights and making hassle is _not_ making things better and certainly isn't favouring their opinion of you."

"I don't care what those people think of me!"

"But if you want to continue living here, remaining with _Daryl_, then this needs to _stop._" I countered. "We have enough problems to deal with than battling amongst each other." There was a long pause before Merle scoffed and turned to walk away.

"Ya people need to lighten up. I'm only jokin'. Ol' Merle ain't doin' no harm, just messin' with ya all." He threw over his shoulder.

"Well, people aren't finding it so funny."

"Like I care."

There was a long moment's silence between us as Merle continued to take out walkers, in a much more brutal fashion than before - if that was possible for Merle. I took in his expression and noted that my words must have left him with plenty to muse over. I joined him in the walker slaughter and we continued in silence until Rick called it a day and those in the compound returned to the safety of the yard. I glanced at the others, thankfully they were all safe, before turning to the man beside me, who still proceeded to take out walkers.

"You're not a bad man, Merle." I spoke suddenly. Merle paused in his killings, though didn't turn to me. "I _know _you're not. You care about Daryl and your loyalty to him isn't the work of someone who is evil. And you're right; you saved my life. You could have left me to die but you didn't. It didn't have anything to do with debt, Merle, no matter what you say. I know it wasn't." Merle glanced over his shoulder at me and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I _know _what they think of me." Merle murmured quietly. "Ya people look at me like I'm the _devil. _They've heard the stories 'bout the Governor 'nd his people 'nd they think I'm just the _same_. Heck, I know that Chinaman 'nd his girl think that _I _am responsible for what happened to ya 'nd Micky. Would hazard a guess that they ain't the only ones."

"And starting fights with them isn't going to make that better." I pointed out. "If you keep this up, you'll only stretch the rift bigger between you and them. The group doesn't need that. _Not now.__" _I paused, shaking my head at the man. "You still have the chance to start again with this group. And if you won't do it for the group, then at least do it for _Daryl_. Because I know that above all else, you _do_ care about your brother." Merle frowned and said nothing, his face intensely thoughtful.

Any musing was interrupted though when Rick's hollering caught our attention. When I turned to the direction of his voice, I saw that Rick was walking towards us. He glanced hesitantly at Merle, a gaze that I noted was full of suspicion. I turned to the man myself and took in the knowing, but almost sad, smirk he sent to me.

"Ya want me to head back to the others, Officer?" Merle asked. Rick looked shocked by the _almost_ polite tone in Merle's voice before nodding once. Merle said nothing more and merely nodded once to me as he passed, before making his way around the perimeter and back toward the yard.

"Well, that was odd." Rick muttered, as we watched the man walk away. I raised an eyebrow when Rick met my gaze again and we followed after Merle, though at a slower pace.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked, just to clarify. Rick nodded in confirmation. "So everything went well then? You ready to leave?"

"Just about." Rick replied. "Daryl has insisted on riding his bike to the meeting point, so he's just gone to get it now." I smiled faintly at this and Rick chuckled.

"I think it's technically Merle's bike, actually." I muttered and Rick laughed again.

"Hopefully he won't mind Daryl borrowing it then." He said.

"So who else is going with you then? Milton said you could take _two_ people after all." When I glanced up at Rick, I knew what the answer was and was startled for a moment. "_Me_?" Rick nodded.

"If you're alright with that?" I shrugged.

"I don't mind, I just thought you'd pick someone else."

"My first choice was Herschel, actually. But he needs to stay behind to take care of Lori." Rick admitted. "I don't want to take Tyreese or Glenn because I think I'd prefer it if they stayed here, kept the prison safe while we're gone. Merle is a definite no, I don't need him compromising the situation." A pause as Rick smiled down at me. "So, I picked _you._" I returned his smile.

"I better go get my stuff then."

The green Hyundai was unfortunately the vehicle that Rick and I would be travelling in. I grimaced at the sight of the car but proceeded to snort at Merle's unhappy face at the fact Daryl was taking his bike. The man was unaware that Daryl had looked after his bike and was almost overjoyed at the sight of Daryl riding out on it, though it was short lived when he realised that Daryl was borrowing it for the day. An argument had ensued between them, but it was almost too sibling-like to be taken seriously. In his anger, Merle seemed to overlook the happy glint in Daryl's eyes as the pair argued and I knew that the glint must have been there because _this _was the side of Merle that Daryl liked best. _The brotherly side. _

"We shouldn't be gone for too long." Rick announced, opening the driver door. "You keep watch constantly, keep on full alert. _No one leaves the prison while we__'__re gone._ Understood?" A confirmation came back. "Glenn, you're in charge while I'm gone." The Korean boy nodded solemnly and the group moved to ready our departure.

I climbed in beside Rick and Daryl started up the engine on the motorbike. The hunter led the way toward the yard gate and Tyreese and Michonne were on hand to open it for us. We barrelled out in a rush and in the wing mirror, I watched as the group shut and secured the gate behind us.

Merle had mapped out the location of the meeting point to Rick and Daryl beforehand and it appeared to be the mid-point between the prison and Woodbury. Daryl continued to lead the way, dodging walkers easily, with Rick and I following in the Hyundai. I watched the hunter closely, despite knowing his was fully capable of looking after himself. I still remained wary.

"I never got the chance to say sorry for what happened to Toby." Rick spoke suddenly. My heart pained at the mention of my fallen dog, but I smiled sadly when Rick glanced at me. "I would have put him down for you, if I'd have known. I didn't think he had turned, I thought he was still-" A pause as Rick trailed off. "You shouldn't have had to do it." I shrugged.

"He was _mine _and therefore was _my_ responsibility." I replied. "I wouldn't have expected anyone else to have done it. I just-" I sniffed loudly, trying to hold back any tears that threatened to break through. "He's been with me since the start of all this. I thought he was _invincible _and more capable of surviving than I was. Now he's gone and I'm still _here._" I sighed. "But at the end of the day, there are people worse off than me, Rick, so please don't give me anymore of your pity. He was just a dog after all." My heart pained to keep the conversation going; _I seemed to have taken Toby__'__s death worse than my own sister__'__s. _The thought made me sick. When I turned to Rick, I saw his gaze wavered between the road and me.

"I'm still sorry." He said, softly, and I nodded my thanks, turning away from the man to stare out the road. "You know that guy that came yesterday? From Woodbury; Mario or something like that?" I smiled a little, glancing at the leader beside me with a raised eyebrow.

"Martinez?" I offered. Rick nodded before turning to me grimly.

"What did he mean when he said that he was _sorry?_" I couldn't help the way my throat constricted at Rick's question. I knew it was bound to come sooner or later, but that didn't prepare me for the blow it struck me with.

"I think you know, Rick." I murmured, quietly. I noticed how his hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I had to stare down at my hands in my lap, ignoring Rick's gaze.

"When I found you that day, you were so-" He paused. "_Broken._ I didn't know what to think, what to do. The way you flinched when I touched you, the way you _still_ do whenever _anyone _does." I glanced up at the man then, taking in the way his jaw had hardened.

"He ordered for me to remove my shirt." I began slowly. "When I refused he brought Daryl in and threatened to kill him if I didn't do as he asked. So I did. When I had removed my shirt and bra, Daryl was taken away and the Governor he-" I swallowed down the bile. "I still feel his touch on me, his kisses, his disgusting breath. Even now." Subconsciously, I rubbed my neck. I was surprised that I had admitted this to Rick, but when I met his eyes briefly, I felt at ease. _I'm not going to hurt you. It's me, Rick. I would _never_ hurt you. _"But he didn't- he didn't go further. He couldn't." Rick raised an eyebrow softly. "Martinez came in to tell the Governor that he was needed so he left before he could-" Rick nodded, silently informing me that I needn't say anymore. I was thankful. "That was why Martinez was sorry, I don't think he knew what the Governor was going to do." I paused before swallowing hard. "Please don't tell the others, Rick." Instantly, Rick turned to me before his expression softened. _Identical to that day he found me in Woodbury._ Rick shook his head.

"I won't." He assured me, firmly, and I smiled my thanks. "Who else knows?"

"Daryl and Lori." I replied. "I think Herschel suspects _something_. And _you _of course. Plus, after Martinez's little apology stunt I don't doubt Merle will plough me with questions any day now." Rick nodded slowly.

"And how did Daryl take it all after you spoke to him?" He asked, gently. I shrugged.

"Better than I expected he would." I admitted before sighing. "The thing is, I told Daryl that the Governor only made me take my clothes off for _show, _a way of getting us both to talk, crack under pressure and all that. I told him that he didn't actually do anything to me, that he wouldn't have done." I chuckled bitterly. Rick sighed.

"I think after hearing what Martinez said yesterday, Daryl probably has doubts of his own now." I nodded in agreement. "Why did you keep it from him?"

"I lied to him because I know he'd only torture himself by taking the blame. I only wanted to make it easier for him." I told Rick slowly. The leader turned to me and smiled sadly.

"But perhaps telling the truth is easier in the long run?" He offered and I was rendered into a state of thoughtfulness.

When we arrived at the old mill where the meeting point was supposed to be located, Rick and Daryl's speeds dropped down cautiously and I scanned the location around us, searching for any of the Governor's goons hiding. The mill was an overgrown wasteland of shrubbery and the place had an eerie, unnerving feel to it. Not a person, or even a walker, in sight.

Daryl slowly brought his bike to a halt beside one of the larger buildings and Rick pulled up along side him, the pair cutting the engines off. Rick and I left the Hyundai and grouped with Daryl.

"Didn't see anyone." Daryl muttered. "Do we know _where _ya supposed to be meetin' him?" Rick shook his head.

"He just said the old mill." Rick sighed, staring around the place. I stared around too, taking in the rustic and decaying feel to the place. Shattered windows, rusted metal and broken panels were what the buildings held together with. Unsteady would be the word I'd describe this place with. "Ruby, you wait in the car. Daryl and I will go check inside. Have the car ready to go if we need to." I nodded in confirmation and Rick turned and led the way toward one of the buildings. Daryl glanced back at me and gave me a single nod before following after the leader.

I resumed Rick's place in the driver seat of the Hyundai and waited patiently, me eyes ever so cautious. I kept my wits about me, expecting to see shadows dancing around corners of buildings, obscuring from view. Though saw nothing unusual. _Despite the absence of anything._ A gentle breeze hit the car and I shivered at the cold air that crept in.

I didn't feel safe, I felt _on edge. _I wondered whether the Governor would honour the agreement of only bringing Martinez and Milton along, or whether it would be an army of Woodbury against the mere three of us. My grip tightened on the gun on my lap as I prayed for the former.

What I did note though was that the location appeared safe of walkers as so far none had staggered out into the open. Daryl's bike was hardly the quietest of transport and would no doubt draw out any that lingered near. The absence of the dead was a good sign.

Finally, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Daryl approaching the vehicle, his crossbow strung over his shoulders. He was _alone._ Deciding that there didn't appear to be any danger, I left the car to greet him by the hood of the vehicle.

"Rick's talkin' to the Governor inside." Daryl muttered, nodding to the building behind us. I nodded slowly, eyeing the offending building with mild fear for our leader. "He was alone, I checked the place out 'nd there's no sign of any of his men."

"Where are Martinez and Milton then?" I wondered. As if on cue, the sound of an approaching car was heard and Daryl and I turned to see an armoured pickup rounding the corner and nearing us. At the sight of Martinez at the wheel, I unintentionally drew nearer to Daryl.

The vehicle slowed and came to halt before us and out of the corner of my eye, I noted that Daryl had removed his crossbow from over his shoulder and now held it in his arms. _Surely not a good sign? _There was a moment's pause before the driver and passenger doors opened and the pair inside got out.

Milton seemed exactly how I remembered him the day before; _weedy - _as Glenn called him. His eyes shifted awkwardly between us both before turning fully to the building we stood beside, where inside our respective leaders were in discussion. Taking in his persona, he looked far from capable of withstanding even a single attack from a walker. He seemed to possess _no_ weapons and everything about his demeanour screamed that he was more than uncomfortable with his situation. The only comfort that seemed to be provided for him was the fact that Martinez stood beside him, armed and ready equipped.

Martinez himself didn't take much note of us at first and had his full attention on the area around us, scanning it with caution. When he seemed satisfied, he turned and eyed Daryl and I with an expressionless look. When his eyes lingered on me, memories overwhelmed me and I quickly swallowed hard to ignore them. He seemed to see the effect he was having on me and quickly turned to the man beside me.

"Are they inside?" Milton asked, bravely. I raised my gaze to the man and nodded in answer to his question. He took it in thoughtfully. "Thank you for honouring the agreement." A pause. "Perhaps a level of trust can be established now between us?" Both Daryl and Martinez snorted.

"Shut up, Milton." Martinez hissed. His companion shifted uncomfortably and remained silent, his eyes turning to the area we were in. "So, _you__'__re _Merle's brother, huh?" I glanced up to the man he was addressing and saw a stony expression on Daryl's face. "I can see the resemblance." He sneered before pausing and shrugging. "You don't seem so much of an ass though as him-"

"Ya better watch ya mouth." Daryl cut in, his eyes dangerous. Martinez chuckled at this. "We ain't 'ere to chit chat. Keep ya trap shut 'nd things will be easy for ya." Martinez laughed again.

"You got some fight in you, I see. I suppose that's the _Dixon _fight, huh?" Martinez nodded thoughtfully. "Ahh yes, you've very much like your brother. How's our old friend Merle doing anyway? Still handless?"

"He's _fine. _But ya know that already." Daryl muttered. "Ya got a fistful from him yesterday." Martinez's eyes narrowed and it was now Daryl's turn to smirk.

"There's no reason not to use the time we have together to explore the issues ourselves." Milton cut in quickly before Martinez could spit another comment at Daryl. The man stepped forward bravely, taking a few steps into the space between each side. _No man__'__s land. _Martinez stared at his friend incredulously, while Daryl raised his crossbow warningly.

"He's not armed, Daryl." I muttered, Milton's gaze turning to me briefly. He nodded his silent thanks to me when the hunter lowered his weapon.

"Boss said to sit tight and not to get too friendly." Martinez muttered, a glare on his face.

"Don't ya mean _'__the Governor__'_?" Daryl sneered. Martinez turned to him and sent him a dark look. He did not say anything _surprisingly. _"Ya follow him like the faithful little lap dog, huh?" Martinez turned to laugh.

"_You__'__re _one to talk, redneck." He muttered. "You're just the _henchman. _Your man is just another governor too; like ours." Daryl shook his head.

"No he ain't. _Our_ leader ain't some deranged tyrant." Daryl scoffed.

"_Tyrant, _huh?" Martinez muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Surprised you have a word like that in _your _vocabulary, hillbilly." Daryl scoffed and ignored the man's comment.

"I'd rather be the henchman than the _obedient mutt._" I instinctively grimaced at Daryl's words - 'obedient mutt'; _Toby. _The man beside me didn't seem to notice but Martinez did and his gaze turned fully to me. This only made Daryl angrier and the hunter stepped forward, obscuring Martinez's view of my slightly.

"It's a good thing that they're sitting down, especially after what happened." Milton quickly carried on, sensing the heightening tension between the hot-headed pair. He seemed to be _trying_ to address me, probably as I was the only one who commented yet; the _least _confrontational to him. "They're going to work it out. No one wants another battle."

"Wouldn't exactly call it a battle." Daryl muttered, his tone eased off slightly. Milton swallowed before nodding.

"I would call it a battle and I _did_." Hesitantly, he raised a small notebook. "I recorded it." I raised an eyebrow at this, Martinez scoffed and looked thoroughly pissed at his companions attempts of conversion.

"For what?" Daryl asked, slowly.

"Someone has got to keep a record of what we've gone through." Milton replied, patiently. He seemed to be revelling in the turn the discussion had taken. "It'll be a part of our history."

"So, you think they'll be a life past all this?" I asked, quietly. "You think we can beat this new world?" Milton didn't hesitate in nodding.

"Yes, I do." He replied. "I've been recording everything that has happened. I have so many interviews-" His train of thought was cut off when a distant clatter and a moan was heard. Martinez, who had been sat on the hood of their vehicle, jumped down immediately and headed to the driver door before pulling out a familiar looking item; _a baseball bat. _I scoffed at the sight of it, remembering the bat I had left behind in the run from the farm. Perhaps Martinez was there during the attack of the farm too? _Perhaps Martinez had taken my bat? _

"Stay here with _glasses_." Daryl muttered, readying his crossbow. "I'll watch the _douche bag_." I nodded, glancing towards Martinez.

"You coming, redneck?" He sneered, to which Daryl replied with a scowl. When the hunter turned back to me, his expression softened.

"Watch yourself, don't let ya guard down with him just 'cos he doesn't _seem _armed." Daryl told me, quiet enough for only me to hear. I nodded again and Daryl seemed satisfied. He went to follow Martinez.

"Be careful." I called to him quickly, in a moment of desperation. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me and nodded, smiling softly at me. Martinez stared between us, an eyebrow raised, but surprisingly didn't comment. The two men disappeared off and left Milton and myself by the cars.

I glanced to the man opposite me and saw how in the absence of his companion, he seemed much more relaxed. _Strange. _Sick of leaning against the hood of the vehicle, I sat myself down on an unsteady looking plank, with full view of the area around us incase walkers decided to announce themselves. After a brief hesitation, Milton sat himself down beside me.

"My name's Milton by the way, I never properly introduced myself before." The man beside me quickly began. I smiled slightly.

"I know who you are." I told him and Milton raised an eyebrow in question. "The Governor told me about you actually, during my time in Woodbury. Merle also helped me put a face to the name yesterday when he insulted you."

"Ahh yes, I remember now. He called me the Philip's 'fuck buddy'." Milton muttered and I nodded slowly. "He has always had a way with words." I couldn't help but chuckle in agreement at the man's sarcastic comment.

"I'm Ruby." I offered after a brief hesitation. When I met Milton's eyes, he seemed grateful and I wondered whether I'd be another name to add to his records.

"Jessica's sister." Milton breathed before smiling sadly. "I'm sorry for what happened to her. Philip said that she was killed in the attack on Woodbury." I couldn't help but scoff at his comment.

"Did he tell you _how _she died?" I demanded, almost harshly. Milton shook his head slowly. "Martinez shot her." His eyes widened. "Because she killed Penny." At this Milton grimaced.

"You knew about Penny?" He asked. I nodded. "You knew _what_ she was?"

"I know that the Governor wanted you to find a cure for the infection; to save her." I added. Milton sighed and smiled slightly.

"I have a theory that the biters still have an _essence _of their previous self _in_ them. I believe that the key is to find a way to make them remember their previous selves again." He paused to show me his notebook again, skipping through it and showing me various words and diagrams. None of which had any meaning to me, but must have held a lot of intellect for the man beside me. "I've been testing and studying the biters since the outbreak and I believed that by using memory cues, I could bring a being back from its violent state."

"You talk in past tense." I noted quietly. Milton nodded slowly and looked suddenly down set.

"I tested it out on a man in Woodbury. An old gentleman, dying and a willing volunteer." Milton began. "Leading up to his death, I spent hours trying to put the cues in place; I used familiar music, pictures of his family." He paused to frown at the notebook. "But when he died, he-" He shook his head. "Martinez had to put him down." I nodded slowly, taking in the down-hearted expression and wondering whether his sadness was due to the failed experiment or the loss of a friend. Finally, Milton raised his eyes to me, and shook his head once. "I know that Philip seems harsh, but he's only doing what's best for Woodbury." There was something in his voice that wavered. _Uncertainty perhaps? _

"I knew _Philip _before Woodbury." I told Milton quietly before shaking his head. "You can't defend him. I _know _what he is, what he's done. I was part of his group once, along with my sister. You remember Laurent?" Milton nodded slowly, his expression confused. "We came to find the Governor's group with him; just the three of us. Laurent, Jessica and myself." I studied the man before me. "I don't think you _actually _know what the man you follow has done. But I don't remember you from before, so I'm guessing the Governor picked you up after I left?"

"He found me, when he found Penny." Milton informed me. "Jessica and Laurent were with him then." I nodded. _That made sense. _

"And did he pick Merle up after or before you?"

"After." _So it seemed that Milton mustn__'__t have had any idea of the eating habit__'__s the Governor 'gave up', long ago. _

"Your Governor is _not _what he appears to be." I urged quietly. "I _had_ to leave his group; another woman and myself overrun the camp with walkers one night and escaped."

"What is it that you think Philip has done?" Milton asked, slowly. I raised an eyebrow.

"I think that's a question better posed to the man himself." I muttered. "Just be cautious what you hear, Milton. You seem an honest enough man. Don't get too caught up with his lies."

There was a long moment's silence between us and I stared out across the abandoned area we found ourselves in and began to wish that Daryl would return back soon.

"He's not been the same since Penny's death." Milton spoke suddenly. I didn't need to ask to know who _he _was. "He cooped himself up in his apartment for days after it happened and when he came back out into the town, he seemed-" He paused, thoughtfully and I waited, watching the man curiously. Finally, Milton turned to me and sighed. "Unstable." I suppressed a snort, but smiled bitterly at the man. "He's been making a lot of irrational choices lately; the _battle _at your prison for example." Milton shook his head. "I didn't know what he was planning until it was too late. If I had known, I would have tried to stop him."

"He's not the kind of man who can be stopped with rational words, Milton, I think we _both _know that." I muttered and Milton didn't disagree. In the silence, my thoughts focused on the building next to us, where the subject of our conversation was conversing with Rick within. "You really believe they're going to work things out in there?"

"I _hope _they'll work things out." Milton urged, his words and tone speaking full volumes. He was just as _unsure _as the rest of us. "Far too much blood has been drawn, from _both _sides. _Unnecessary_ blood. We both have people we're trying to protect."

"And I'm guessing that there's no way we could just live in peace beside each other?" I tried, chuckling humourlessly. Milton smiled sadly and shook his head.

"He doesn't like the idea of having you and your people on his doorstep." Milton sighed. "He's not one for neighbours, especially ones who attacked his home." I raised an eyebrow.

"And here you guys are, destroying _our _front yard too." I muttered. Milton sent me an apologetic look. Another moment of hesitation between us. "Do you have women in Woodbury?" I asked, suddenly. Milton turned to me. "Children?"

"Yes." He replied. "Woodbury has many families, those who seek refuge from the outside. Woodbury was once a safe haven, a _paradise _almost. Untouched from the biters." I nodded slowly. "And now it's like an army camp, gunning up for war." His last comment was bitter.

"It isn't much of a different picture from our end either, I assure you." I sighed. "We've got children too. One of our own has recently just given birth actually." At this Milton raised his eyebrow and seemed in shock for a moment. "Truth is Milton, we're not the _terrorists _that the Governor is making us out to be. We're a _family _too, just trying to survive in this world. _You _guys started this. _You _took Michonne and I."

"Your people were the first to pull the trigger." Milton added. I smiled bitterly and tilted my head.

"Debatable." I muttered and the silence lapsed again.

Wordlessly, Milton handed me his notebook and I began to flick through it, Milton occasionally explaining a theory to me, or reinforced an idea that I didn't understand. The subject on the war between our groups was forgotten and in that moment we were just two _survivors _in the new, apocalyptic world, who weren't about to prepare for war against one another.

When Daryl and Martinez returned again, I noted that Martinez's (perhaps _my_) bat was bloodied and Daryl was wiping his knife on his trouser leg, cleaning it of blood. Oddly, the tension between the pair seemed to have diffused slightly and they appeared to be chatting quietly amongst each other when they approached. It was a strange sight considering the pair weren't exactly seeing eye to eye beforehand.

"Are the biters all gone?" Milton asked, when they neared.

"For now, yeah." Daryl replied. I handed Milton's notebook back to him with a grateful smile before the man scurried away, back to their vehicle to put his notebook back in a safe place. He seemed much more cheerful now he had been able to pass on his ideas. "He cause any trouble?" Daryl muttered, standing before me. I shook my head.

"Harmless as a mouse." I replied, smiling at the man. He scoffed.

"Mice can bite, y'know." Daryl muttered before stalking towards the Hyundai to clean off his bolts and replace them on his crossbow. I hadn't noticed that Martinez still lingered by me until the man suddenly coughed to get my attention. I turned to look at the man, averting my attention away from Daryl and to look up at him. At the sight of him, I tensed slightly and Martinez appeared to have noticed it.

"Just wanted to apologise again for-" Martinez paused before shrugging awkwardly. "_You know_." I gritted my teeth.

"You apologised yesterday, Martinez." I pointed out, coldly. "Doesn't get rid of the fact that I was bruised black and blue because of you either." Martinez laughed nervously at that.

"Yeah, guess I'm sorry about that too." He replied. "An order's an order, right?" I smiled bitterly.

"Laurent was a man who would follow orders too." I muttered. "Look where he ended up." At this, Martinez tensed and tilted his head thoughtfully.

"I just came here to make peace with you, sweetheart." Martinez tried again and I shrugged.

"You've apologised, there's nothing else to it. And don't call me 'sweetheart'." I paused. "Why did you kill my dog?" At this Martinez raised an eyebrow and chuckled humourlessly.

"The Governor ordered me to."

I scoffed and rose to my feet, making my move to leave. Martinez quickly grabbed my arm before I could and I tensed under his touch. His touch was cold and reminded me oh so much like _his. _I felt my skin crawl at the contact and bile rose as the memories built up again. I tried to shrink away, but he only gripped tighter, urging me to stay put. _Trapping me-_

"Hey!" Suddenly Martinez's grip fell away instantly and the man backed up as Daryl shoved his crossbow in his face. Martinez held his hands up as a sign of peace though Daryl made a point of standing in between us. "The hell do ya think ya doin'?!"

"We were just talking, _lover boy_, ease off." Martinez told him, slowly. Daryl practically growled at the man and raised his crossbow closer. I reached forward and tugged gently on the back of the hunter's jacket.

"Daryl, _please_." I begged, quietly. After a moment of hesitation, Daryl obliged and lowered his crossbow. Martinez relaxed and had the good manner to look ashamed of his actions.

"Ya stay _away _from her, ya hear?" Daryl hissed. Surprisingly, Martinez nodded slowly and backed up from the hunter. He sent me one last apologetic look before returning back to the vehicle Milton stood beside.

_So much for the growing understanding between the four of us. _

"Ya alright?" Daryl asked, gruffly. I nodded and resumed my place on the bench I had previously been sat on. The hunter joined me, keeping his gaze between the other two - mainly _Martinez _- and myself.

"He didn't mean to, Daryl." I muttered, finally. Daryl shrugged.

"He's still a douche bag." He replied in return and I smiled faintly, unconsciously rubbing my arm where Martinez had held onto.

"I tried to talk to Merle this morning." I admitted, trying to change the subject quickly, and Daryl raised an eyebrow in question. "I tried to tell him that his incessant need to piss people off is unnecessary and that he could still make peace with people if he tried."

"_And_?" I shrugged.

"I'd like to think that some of what I said stuck." I sighed. "But I guess time will tell."

"If it doesn't then I'll talk to him." Daryl informed me. "He's my brother, but I don't want him causin' problems with people in the group." I nodded and glanced over to the building that the leaders were still in. "They won't reach an agreement." I turned to Daryl and he shrugged. "Martinez said it himself; they ain't the kind of people that can live side by side, knowin' the other exists. They may 'talk things out' but they're both prepared to launch an attack at any time."

"Milton told me something similar." I told him, quietly, before running a hand through my tangled locks. I chuckled bitterly at the fact I hadn't used a brush in weeks now and no doubt my hair was becoming to dread like Michonne's soon. _What a state, I must look. _Taking in the presence beside me and exactly _who _the presence was, I began to reveal in my feelings of self-consciousness and hated how much of I mess I must look beside the hunter - who seemed to be able to pull off _unclean. _"Say that Woodbury attack and they draw us out, what do you reckon will happen to us?"

"We'd move on." Daryl muttered. "Find somewhere new. We 'ave the capability of surviving on the road. _You _perhaps more than most."

"Where would we go?" I felt the need for at least _some_ reassurance that if the prison fell, that we would all still be _alright. _After having the security of the prison for so long now, it seemed terrifying the idea of it all being taken away from us at any point now.

"I dunno." Daryl admitted with a sigh. "Suppose if the Governor wasn't a problem then we could head back to the farm, clear out the walkers again. But if the Governor is still breathin', then he'd no doubt look for us there. Like ya said, he's still gonna follow us where ever we go. Better to take him out _now._" The hunter's eyes turned to the building before us and I knew that no doubt ideas of assassination were running through his mind.

"Merle wants us to just focus our planning on killing the Governor." I added, slowly. Daryl nodded.

"Doesn't seem like such a bad idea at the moment." He murmured and silence drifted between us for a moment.

"Say we _do_ get attacked and we either defeat the Governor or are pushed out of the prison." I began slowly. Daryl's head tilted towards me, though his eyes remained fixed on the building. "What if-" I paused to swallow. "What if we lose someone _again_?" Daryl's body tensed and he seemed to be trying to control himself for a moment.

"We do what we always do." He muttered. "We mourn then we continue livin' - _for them._" His answer left me trembling for a moment.

"What if you lost Merle?" I asked, turning fully to delve Daryl's reaction. He met my gaze evenly before smiling slightly.

"Ain't nobody able to kill Merle, but _Merle._" He told me, quietly. I let out a brief chuckle and knew that Daryl was just dodging giving a response to the question.

"What if-" I frowned in thought. "What if I lose _Sophia?_" The idea made my body shake and Daryl shook his head. I dodged his gaze to stare down at my hands.

"Don't think like that, girl." He murmured, softly. "I'll make it my _duty _to make sure that girl gets out safely." I gritted my teeth and raised my gaze again, meeting his defiantly.

"What if I lose _you_?" I breathed, quietly. Daryl didn't respond and merely stared back in silence. _It may be too late by then. _Merle's words echoed in my ears and I felt a sudden urge of desperation to get _everything _out, incase it was _too late. _"Daryl, when will you and I talk about-" A pause. "_Us?_" Daryl raised an eyebrow and his jaw tensed.

"Us?" He asked, his tone guarded. I nodded firmly.

"You know that I care about you and how important you are to me." I began, slowly, trying to keep my tone strong. Though I felt a bundle of nerves right now. "And not forgetting that we _kissed._" At my blunt recount, Daryl shifted awkwardly and stared down at the crossbow in his hands. "I just think, with this upending war and everything, there's a chance that we _both _might not make it out of this alive." Daryl shook his head and opened his mouth to speak - probably to inform me that we _would _both make it out - but I quickly carried on speaking. "And I think _this _is a conversation we _need_ to be having, just incase a few weeks down the line, the prison is attacked and it's _too late.__" _I paused and cautiously reached out to take Daryl's hand, needing the contact in that moment. "I _need _to know _your _feelings, Daryl. And I want to tell you mine, _show _you mine. But I need your cooperation on this." Daryl didn't respond and merely stared down at my hand in his. "And if you don't have any- er- _feelings_, then that's okay. I just _need_ to know that. I need you to _tell_ me, I need you to _show_ me."

The world, however, didn't appear to want to me continue the conversation with Daryl. Before the hunter could reply or even begin to function a retort, the doors to the building we waited outside, opened. Rick and the Governor immerged out of it, each expression blank and unmoving. I grimaced at the sight of the Governor but suppressed any dark memories instantly in concern for our leader. Quickly, Daryl and I were on our feet. Nothing more was said about the conversation and Daryl led the way over to the Rick, his cheeks displaying a healthy blush of red. My own cheeks were no doubt the same. If Rick caught onto our flustered expressions, he didn't seem to show it. Without a backward glance to the Governor, he marched to the driver door and got in. Slamming it shut behind him.

Daryl finally met my gaze then, with a hesitant glint at our leader's actions. He wordlessly returned to his bike and I noted the nod of recognition he sent towards Martinez and Milton. Martinez returned one of his own to the hunter before making his way to their vehicle. I was thankful he didn't pause to give me one, but I spared a sad wave in return of the one Milton gave me.

Without a _proper_ goodbye, both groups returned to their respective vehicles and almost as soon as I joined Rick in the Hyundai again, he had put his foot on the accelerator and was speeding away. In my wing mirror, I noted the Governor's car pulling away in the opposite direction and Daryl was quick to follow us. Hesitantly, I glanced to the leader beside me and took in his tense jaw and tight grip on the steering wheel.

_Apparently it hadn__'__t gone well. _

The drive back was met with complete silence at first and I was struggling to gather any nerve to start a conversation with the man in the driver's seat. I would glance at him every now and again and take in his hard set jaw and notice the way his hands hadn't relaxed since he had taken them in a vice tight grip. I tried to train my eyes on the road ahead, occasionally glancing in the mirror to check that Daryl was still following behind. The man hadn't taken to overtaking us yet and I wondered whether the hunter was doing the same as I was and being cautious around Rick's sudden mood switch.

Overall though, I was glad that Rick had made it out well and _alive. _With a quiet sigh, I fumbled aimlessly with my hands before braving it and turning to face the stern leader beside me.

"How'd it go?" I asked, slowly. Rick's reaction to my question was minor at first and I wondered if he'd actually heard what I had said as for a long time he remained unresponsive. Finally though, Rick spoke.

"He's unwilling to discuss a peace agreement." He began in a monotone voice. "What he wants from us is our surrender." I swallowed hard at this knowledge, though noted how Rick's demeanor softened as he spoke and how he shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"So what happens now?" I asked. At this question, Rick's reaction confused me. He glanced awkwardly at me, though there was an odd glint in his eyes that I caught before he turned away - in an almost _nervous_ fashion. There was something behind Rick's gaze that I couldn't quite place. Perhaps sorrowful looking, _regret maybe? _

"As it stands, we've got a war with Woodbury on our hands." Rick replied, evenly. I felt a little sick at the bold statement but nodded. "However we've established a further meeting in three days. Now we've both discussed the situation, we thought it was best to relay it back to our people and see if a decision can be made regarding each of our er-" Rick paused, awkwardly. "_Terms_." I frowned at the man. _Something seemed wrong. _Instead of questioning the man further, I merely nodded.

"Alright." And again we lapsed back into silence, now curious thoughts milled around in my head. Rick's demeanor didn't relax either and instead of looking downright furious now, Rick looked almost s_uspicious. _

When the prison appeared in sight, I had never felt more relieved at the prospect of leaving Rick's presence. There was something about the man's behaviour at the moment that made me uncomfortable. The car we shared seemed to be getting more _crampt _by the second. As we approached, I saw figures rushing to the gates of the yard and when we finally crossed the grass compound, they were readily open for us. Once we were safe inside, the gates were secured again and Rick pulled the Hyundai to a halt, Daryl parking the bike beside us.

Only Glenn and Maggie were in the yard waiting and Andrea could be seen on watch in one of the guard towers. The others apparently remained in the cell block. When we left the vehicles and approached the couple on the ground, I observed Glenn's face with a frown.

"What happened to your face?" I asked, staring in astonishment at the purple bruising that was forming around the Korean boy's left eye. Glenn glanced awkwardly at Daryl before clearing his throat.

"Merle." He muttered and I raised an eyebrow in shock.

"What?" Daryl breathed, looking just as shocked as I was. Maggie stood beside her lover, her face a picture of fury. She folded her arms crossly over her chest.

"He wanted to come after you guys." She explained, in a harsh tone. "Was real angry that he didn't go with you. Glenn told him that your orders were to remain inside, Merle wasn't having any of it. Glenn tried to restrain him when Merle tried to leave the cell block," She paused to point unnecessarily at Glenn's bruised face. "This is what happened."

"Where is he now?" Rick demanded, quietly.

"We locked him in one of the cells." Glenn informed the leader. "We thought it was best to keep him there till you guys got back."

"He's pretty pissed at us for it." Maggie added. "But after what the asshole did, it's not the worst thing we could have done."

"Hey, lay off that." Daryl urged, gentler than normal when addressing Maggie. I noted that if one of the men had called Merle an asshole, Daryl's tone would have taken a harsher turn.

"Look what your brother did, Daryl!" Maggie cried. "All he's been doing since he got here is cause trouble and _now _he's becoming violent. That ain't someone I want to have around me all the time."

"So what, ya wanna throw him out?" Daryl demanded through gritted teeth. Glenn shook his head quickly.

"That's not what she'd saying." Glenn tried, calmly.

"No, I just think we need to keep a firmer guard on him, perhaps consider locking him up in one of the cells for the time being!"

"What, like a _criminal?_!" Daryl glared at the Greene daughter, who didn't waver under his stare.

"Enough." Rick muttered, running a hand through his hair. "We have better things to talk about than _Merle Dixon._" Glenn and Maggie's faces softened suddenly.

"How'd it go with the Governor?" Glenn asked, cautiously. Rick sighed before shaking his head once.

"Inside." He murmured, before striding past the lot of us and leading the way into the cell block. The rest of us followed.

When we entered the cell block, Merle's obnoxious bellowing could be heard even from down the corridor. Those gathered in the main common area seemed drained from the man's intensive hollering and looked relieved at our entrance.

"Where is he?" Daryl muttered, eyeing the wall of cells.

"Down at the bottom." Tyreese nodded. I chuckled bitterly at the fact it was the same cell we had kept Big Tiny in when the man was under _prosecution. _Daryl made a move forward before I quickly stopped him.

"Can I quickly talk to him first?" I asked the man quietly. "It's just, after the conversation I had with him this morning, I have a few things to say to him." Daryl smiled faintly before nodding. "Can I let him out? I think it's best I take him outside to talk, so he can blow off his steam without insulting anyone anymore than he has already." I added, turning to Rick. The leader agreed mutely before gesturing for Tyreese to give me the keys he held onto. I took them off him with a single nod before marching over to the cell Merle was kept in.

Merle was leaning against the bars of the cell door when I approached, his arms threaded through and his bayonet ready to strike threateningly. I raised an eyebrow at the man's attempt to be terrifying and Merle sneered when I appeared before him.

"Ya back then, huh?" He muttered, eyeing me cautiously. "Ya had a nice _chat _with our good friend Philip?" I narrowed my eyes at the man and didn't respond. He sniggered. "Ya seen the Chinaman? I knocked him up pretty good, didn't I?"

"I'm gonna let you out, Merle, and you're going to follow me out into the yard." I announced slowly. Merle raised an eyebrow.

"'Nd what makes ya think I'm willing to follow _your _orders?" He sneered.

"Because it's _me _you're talking to." I replied, evenly. Without waiting for a response, I stepped forward and unlocked the man's door. He stepped back to allow me to do so and I pushed the cell door open with one shove. Without waiting, I turned and made my leave, knowing that Merle would follow.

Sure enough, I heard the bitter remarks Merle made as he passed the group gathered at the benches. Maggie threw back an equally harsh remark but Merle only responded with a laugh. He followed me obediently out of the cell block and down the corridor towards Cell Block C.

When we arrived out in the yard, I took a few steps out onto the concrete before turning to the man behind me. He raised an eyebrow at my fuming expression.

"Did anything I said to you this morning, register in that thick skull of yours?" I hissed. Merle narrowed his eyes. "I told you to stop giving everyone shit and today you _attacked _Glenn?!"

"Is that what that China_fuck _said I did?!" He demanded. "_He _was the one who attacked _me! _Him 'nd his farmer chick! They jumped on me when I tried to leave, not my fault that he got in the way of my fist!"

"You were told _not _to leave the prison!" I pointed out, harshly.

"I don't take orders from assholes who handcuff me to roofs!" Merle countered and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Give it a God _damn _rest, Merle. The whole 'handcuffed to a roof' thing is wearing thin now." I muttered through gritted teeth. "That's in the _past _now, it's time to move on with the _present_. If you intend to stay here, then this has to stop. _Right now.__"_

"Ya people ain't the boss of me!" Merle replied, loudly. "I don't have to listen to any of those airheads 'nd I don't have to listen to _you _either, sweetheart." I raised an eyebrow. "Chinaman should 'ave let me go. I could 'ave killed the Governor 'nd all this shit would be over. All this take of '_negotiations__' _'nd shit are the work of dreamers. Ain't any way _that _man is gonna make any sort of agreement with us. He's out for _blood _'nd ya know it, girl!"

"None of that gives you any right to _hurt _a single member of this group." I pointed out, evenly. Merle chuckled bitterly.

"Ya want me to apologise to the kid?" He asked. "Maybe bake him a cake to show him that I'm _sorry? _Princess, I got bigger things to worry 'bout than Chinaman's feelings."

"That may be, Merle, but if you keep this up then you're going to lose _everything._" I urged before pausing for a moment. "Even _Daryl._" At this, Merle's expression faltered and I knew he was musing over this prospect. Slowly, the man's eyes narrowed and I knew then that that was it for the matter. _Hopefully now, Merle had registered it this time around. _

"What happened today?" He asked, slowly. I shrugged.

"Rick and the Governor talked." I replied with a sigh. "He didn't really say much about what they talked about, just that the Governor is unwilling to make any peace agreements and that another meeting has been rescheduled for three days time." Merle nodded before sneering.

"_Figures.__" _He muttered before tilting his head. "Milton 'nd Martinez were there too?" I nodded in confirmation. "They cause ya any grief?" I hesitated before shaking my head at this. Merle's raise of the eyebrow seemed to say he wasn't convinced. "Been meanin' to ask ya 'bout what Martinez meant yesterday." At the statement, I couldn't help but sigh. Already today I had explained myself to Rick and I hadn't expected to get badgered by Merle in the same day too.

"It's nothing." I tried to brush off. Merle shook his head.

"Something happened in Woodbury, didn't it? Something I don't know 'bout." Merle narrowed his eyes and his expression remained stubborn. _He wasn__'__t going anywhere until I told him. _

_So I did. _

Four members of the group now knew of my ordeal and I vowed then that I would keep it that way. Telling Rick and Daryl was a _necessity_ as the pair had seen me in my broken, unstable state. Telling Lori was a _choice _as I needed that certain someone to tell me that everything was going to be alright. Telling Merle was somewhere in between.

I hadn't been sure what to expect from Merle when telling him and the man remained silent throughout my retell and the response I got was the growing darkened expression on his face. When I had finished reluctantly, the man's expression was dangerously dark now and I flinched slightly when Merle laughed in an almost demonic way.

"Y'know, hearin' _that _only makes me wanna kill that asshole _more_." He muttered, his hands clenched into fists. I chuckled weakly at his response, though wanted nothing more than to change topics _quickly. _So I did.

"I tried to talk to Daryl today." I announced suddenly. Merle seemed confused at this sudden change of direction but raised an eyebrow in question regardless. "About our er-" A pause. "Feelings." Merle smirked a little, though it wasn't quite as full as normal. "Don't get too excited, Daryl didn't actually say anything back. I just kinda talked and he just-" Another pause and I carelessly shrugged. "_Listened_."

"Was there something wrong his damn mouth?" Merle demanded through narrowed eyes. I smiled faintly.

"He didn't really get chance to. Rick and the Governor finished before he could talk. Plus I kinda threw it all on him." I tried to defend the younger Dixon, but Merle snorted and shook his head in disbelief.

"I swear that pussy doesn't own a pair of balls." He muttered.

"Charming, Merle." I shook my head at his vulgar nature. _What else did I honestly expect anyway? _"Real _charming._"

"Think we've established already, sweetheart, that I ain't _ever _gonna be anybody's prince charming! 'Nd ya better get used to it." Merle grinned. "Now, back to the spineless pussy that is my _Baby Brother._"

* * *

_(Author's Note): Dear lord people! Remember me? Two whole weeks I've made you lovely people wait! Shame on me! I do feel truly awesome and I hope this super long chapter makes up for it? I've just been so busy, it's been unreal! I've finally managed an update though and hopefully you guys liked it? _

_Regarding the series, I am currently caught up with everything _except _the season finale. So pretty please, no spoilers for the last episode! It's really killing me not knowing! The last episode though - what a killer! I'm not ashamed to admit that the last scene between Merle and Daryl made me cry. I can't believe that they killed him off! I was devestated, to say the least. What I really did like about the episode though was Michonne and Merle's interaction. I could have imagined that their bickering would have been amusing if of course... *sobs!* What did you guys think of the episode? (remember no spoilers for the finale please!)_

_This chapter is kinda influenced greatly from the show and hopefully it doesn't feel too much of a cop out from the actually actions in the show - just replacing Herschel with Ruby. I tried to mix things up with their interactions, but again I taken a great influence from the show and try my hardest not to just reword scenes. Hopefully it came out alright? _

_As always thank you all very much for your support! You're all amazing! A big shout out to _carniwhore _who has created more work for this story - thank you, they're awesome! Links to all fanwork is on my profile if you guys want to take a look. Thanks again to all those who have created anything for this story! _

_Fingers crossed I'll have an update up ASAP, but it will most likely be _after _I have seen the season finale - on Friday. So until then, thank you all and please tell me what your thoughts and comments are for this story! :) _


	45. Chapter Forty Four

_Chapter Forty Four_

"On the count of three, we'll lift her gently." Herschel said. I nodded in confirmation, giving Lori's hand a squeeze of reassurance. The woman smiled encouragingly.

Herschel had enlisted my help to aid Lori to her feet that day, as he believed she had gained enough strength to do so. Rick was first choice to help out but he had told the farmer that he was busy 'doing _stuff_'. An odd answer, but I was more than willing to help Herschel when he asked. Currently, I was hunched over the couch, by Lori. We had managed to get her into a sitting up position, with her legs hanging over the side and all that was left to do now was to heave her up onto her feet. I gripped her hand with my right and had my left arm around her back, ready to leverage her up, Herschel mirrored me on her other side.

"Be careful not to strain her wound too much." Herschel quickly added to me and Lori chuckled a little.

"Strain me all you want, I just want to get off this damn couch." She muttered in return and I beamed at the woman. Herschel gave her a disapproving smile and shook his head once.

"One," He began, raising his gaze to me again. I readied myself. "Two… Three." Carefully, Herschel and I lifted the woman to her feet, wary of her wounds. Lori grunted in pain, but bit her lip and bared it. Once the woman made it to her feet, we quickly looped her arms around our shoulders, for support and allowed Lori to get used to this new position.

"Not so bad." She hissed, chewing her lip before cracking a smile. Across the room, Sophia and Carl watched on, Judith in the latter's arms. "Momma's superman, eh baby?" Carl rolled his eyes.

"I think you'd technically be super_woman._" Herschel corrected her. Lori eyed the man out of the corner of her eyes and scoffed. Sophia and Carl laughed. "Now, let's see if this super hero can walk."

She stumbled and staggered at first, her legs weak from her injury and having spent weeks merely lying on the couch. With the help of Herschel and I, we made a few trips across the room and back before putting Lori back on the couch. She seemed grateful for the exercise and grinned happily, thanking us both.

"Am I strong enough to hold my daughter, do you think Herschel?" Lori asked, turning to the old vet. The man shrugged and smiled warmly down at her.

"I don't see why not." On cue, Carl carried his baby sister to his mother's side and sat down beside her on the couch. Gently, Carl passed Judith into the awaiting arms of their mother and made sure Judith was secure and Lori had hold of her before pulling his arms away. He leant gently against his mother's side, hands ready to reach out incase Lori's arms buckled, with an admiring gaze on his baby sister. I met Herschel's eyes and he smiled at the scene before us. "Perhaps, we should leave you three in peace?" He offered to the Grimes'. Lori smiled her thanks at the pair of us, her eyes tearful. With one final squeeze of Lori's hand, I ushered Sophia away, Herschel following behind.

The old vet parted outside the security room, heading to his cell which was located nearby the room we just vacated - _usefully. _After parting from the old man, I beamed down at Sophia.

"Judy's cute." Sophia stated. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You think so?" I nodded, noting that Carl and Sophia seemed to have adopted this new nickname for the little infant. "Aren't all babies cute anyway?" Sophia wrinkled her nose.

"Not _all _babies. Some can be funny looking. I've seen some that look like _aliens!_" I snorted at the comment.

"Please tell me that you didn't tell their mothers this, sweetie!" Sophia only grinned at the comment and I shook my head in disbelief. _Little monkey! _

"Do _you _want kids, Ruby?" I hesitated before answering her question.

"I have _you, _I don't need any more hassle in my life." Sophia swatted my hand away when I tried to ruffle her knotted hair. I made note to find a brush later and have a go at attacked her tangled locks.

"I mean, kids of your own." She carried on. I stared down at her, noting her determination but also the little twinkle in her youthful eyes. In answer, I shrugged cautiously, narrowing my eyes at the girl's suddenly suspicious demeanour. "You sure you don't want kids with _Daryl?_" She sang, emphasising her point by making childish kissing noises and pouting up at me. Astonished by the cheeky girl's actions, I bent and quickly launched a tickle attack, leaving the girl unable to continue her taunts. "Stop!" She squealed between her giggles.

"You done?" When I got confirmation, I stopped and allowed the girl to pant against the railings of the platform, grinning at her when she turned to me. Sophia grinned in return. "What are we going to do today, darling?" I asked the little girl, wrapping an arm around her tiny shoulders and drawing her close. She shrugged.

"Aren't you on watch later?" She asked, before turning to me with a grin again. "With _Daryl?_" I rolled my eyes.

"You're going the right way to be tickled again." I warned, though her smile only widened. "You do have some funny ideas, darling. I really don't know where you get them from."

In the end, it was decided that I would do something about Sophia's messy locks and I sought out a brush before returning to our cell where Sophia sat anxiously on the bottom bunk for me. Taking a seat on the bed, Sophia crawled to sit in front of me and I gently began to untangle what could only be described as the mop on her head. Sophia chatted aimlessly as I did, almost _never _pausing for air. It astounded me when the girl did this and wondered how the girl continuing found things to blabber about. Most of the time, she required no response and I smiled fondly as I listened to her ravings, shaking my head occasionally at the nonsense she came out with.

When I had finally managed to brush her hair out, I ran my fingers though it to revel in its newfound softness. To this, Sophia requested to do _my _hair and I was quickly forced off the bunk to sit on the floor, with my back leaning against the bed so Sophia could tug at my ratty locks.

That was the scene Daryl stumbled across and the hunter frowned, standing at the doorway of the cell, seemingly conflicted whether to break the moment between Sophia and I. Upon noticing the hunter's presence, I heard a cheeky giggle from the girl on the bed and I rolled my eyes before smiling at Daryl.

"Time for our watch." He informed me, glancing between the Sophia and I.

"Alright, kiddo, time to finish up." I urged to Sophia. She quickly finished off and tied my hair in one tight pony tail before allowing me to stand.

"Can I come on watch?" She asked quickly as I gathered up my rifle. "It's just, Carl's busy with Judy and Lori and I'm going to be bored on my own." I paused to glance at the girl on the bed before turning to Daryl with a raised eyebrow. The hunter shrugged.

"The more the merrier." He muttered, half-smiling at the girl before shuffling away to wait for us downstairs. Sophia's face broke out into an excited grin immediately.

Before leaving, we quickly informed Rick that Sophia would be joining us, to avoid fuss over the girl's apparent disappearance. The man nodded his approval before leaving to talk to Herschel. I noted how the leader barely looked at me during the exchange and still carried an awkward demeanour. I couldn't mull over this for too long though as Daryl urged for us to head out.

The hunter quickly relayed the 'rules' to Sophia, informing her that she had to carry out full duties as everyone did on watch if she wished to join us. The girl nodded with determination as he informed her that she was to scan the tree line for anything _unusual _and was to remain alert at all times as we would both be counting on her. I lagged behind the pair, observing them with amusement as Daryl prattled on about responsibility and such while Sophia began to act more _serious. _The hunter sent an amused smirk over his shoulder at me as the girl promised to do her best and Daryl ruffled her hair for approval. Though he quickly shot her down when she requested a _gun. _

We crossed the yard, making our way toward the guard tower where Michonne and Tyreese were currently on watch. With a grimace, I wondered if it was such an idea taking Sophia up there incase the pair weren't exactly _decent. _I didn't want Sophia with _that _sort of image engraved on her brain.

When we reached the bottom of the tower, I grabbed Daryl's arm quickly before he led the way up.

"Shouldn't we call up first?" I urged. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "Michonne and Tyreese might be in the _middle _of something. We wouldn't want to interrupt them." Daryl blanched at the thought before nodding in agreement.

"Hey guys!" He bellowed up the tower. "Ya shift's over, ya can come down!"

After a moment's hesitation, footsteps rushed down the tower and Tyreese led the way out, Michonne at his heels. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when I noted that it seemed that Tyreese was _still _incapable of dressing himself.

"Your shirt's on backwards." Sophia pointed out suddenly and I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing as she pointed up at Tyreese. I was glad the man at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.

"Silly me!" He laughed awkwardly. "Looks like I didn't dress myself properly this morning." Daryl snorted before shaking his head, while Sophia just looked confused.

"Get ya ass up there, girly, we got us a watch duty to do." Daryl urged the girl through the door first and Sophia all but ran up the tower stairs. In her absence, he turned to Tyreese and Michonne. "Ya people are like rabbits." Daryl shook his head in amusement at the dishevelled pair before following the girl up. I raised an eyebrow at Michonne and Tyreese.

"Can't you guys give it a rest for _one _minute?" I muttered, smirking. Tyreese's eyes widened in shock, probably due to Daryl's statement too, and the man quickly excused himself with embarrassment. Michonne smirked back at me in return before following after her lover, a sway in her step.

Sophia took to her job on watch with a considerable amount of seriousness. With Daryl watching over her, Sophia gave it her all for a good solid hour or so. After that though, the girl's exhaustion kicked in and soon the girl had curled herself up on the floor with my jacket as a pillow and Daryl's as a blanket. Daryl was amused at this, seemingly proud that he had managed to ware the girl out.

With Sophia's rhythmic breathes behind us, we stood for a while in companionable silence. Our eyes scanned the horizon and I felt at ease with the blessed breeze blowing through my newly brushed hair. My thoughts raced though and I contemplated many things before turning to the man beside me and decided to voice them to him.

"Daryl," I urged, softly, in fear of waking the slumbering girl behind us. Daryl titled his head towards me, to tell me he was listening. "Do you think," A hesitant pause, "Do you think that Rick's being acting weird lately?" At the question, Daryl's brows burrowed.

"Weird? What ya mean?" He murmured quietly, equally cautious to wake Sophia. I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment.

"Since we got back from the meeting with the Governor," I began. "He just doesn't seem to be acting the same. Around _me _at least." I shrugged when Daryl turned to me, eyeing me carefully. "I was just wondering if anyone else saw this or if it was just me over thinking things." Daryl thought before answering.

"Can't say I've seen it." He confessed, shaking his head. "But I believe ya if ya say he's been actin' weird. I can talk to him if ya want?" I smiled gratefully.

"I don't want to cause a fuss if it's nothing." I quickly urged. "I just want to make sure he's alright. I'm just worried that the Governor said something to him that he hasn't told us, that's concerned him. Or maybe I've done something wrong and that's why he's acting like this. I'd apologise if I have." Daryl shook his head.

"Ya won't 'ave done nothin'. Maybe ya right. Maybe that asshole has said summit to him that's got him thinkin'." Daryl muttered. "I'll talk to him after watch for ya. See what's got him actin' weird." He paused before smiling briefly at me. "It'll probably be nothin' anyway. Just Rick thinkin' too much 'bout everything no doubt." I returned the smile before turning back to look out across the yard, feeling better after discussing my current worry and hoped that Daryl was right.

After we were relieved by Sasha and Maggie that afternoon, I nearly ended up dragging Sophia away from the guard tower as the girl expressed that she wished to continue her 'duty' on watch. Daryl offered me no support when I urged to girl to come inside, but merely smirked when I looked his way for assistance - it was _his _fault after all. In the end, Sophia won, and Maggie assured me that her and Sasha would watch over her and Sophia pranced back up the guard tower to continue for another few hours.

Back at the cell block, I parted from Daryl, telling him that I was going to see how Lori was doing and he told me he'd try catch up with Rick. _To talk to him. _I thanked the hunter with a smile and made my way up to the security room.

Lori remained in her upright position with Judith in her arms and Carl by her side. Herschel was also in the room, preparing formula for the hungry infant and the three of them greeted me happily. After handing the milk to Lori so she could feed her daughter, Herschel informed me that while I was there, that he'd quickly readdress the bandage on my side.

It was healing quite nicely and had given me minimal trouble, though Herschel insisted on readdressing the bandage to keep the risks of infection to a minimum. I sat through the 'procedure' contently, not even uncomfortable now by the fact I had to lift my shirt up for Herschel to change the bandage - the old farmer had done it many times now, that I had grown used to it. I no longer flinched at _his _touch anymore.

"Herschel, I was thinking," Lori began, raising her gaze briefly from her feeding daughter to look up at the man she was addressing. He smiled encouragingly. "That perhaps I could feed Judith _naturally _soon?" Carl blanched at the idea but Lori only smiled at her son's uncomfortable attitude to her _breast feeding. _Herschel thought this over for a bit before nodding slowly.

"I think that next time Judith needs feeding, it will be safe for you to try it. Though I'd insist on having someone in the room with you while you do it, _just incase_." He told her. "Maybe Ruby or Maggie or Rick even?" Lori nodded and smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you." Her son beside her, still remained repulsed by the idea but quickly looked over the idea when his mother asked if he could take Judith from her and continue feeding her as Lori's arms were getting tired. He quickly obliged to the request and Lori adjusted the infant's head until it was positioned right and urged for Carl to continue the feeding. "Would it be too much to ask if I could have some help getting up? I'd like to walk around again before my legs cramp up."

Herschel and I helped Lori around the room a few times and each time, the woman seemed to be gaining more strength. She still winced and hissed at every uneven step that tugged at her wound, but she ploughed on regardless. I couldn't help but admire the strength Lori had, how much she urged herself to get better for the sake of having the ability of looking after her baby girl properly. I quickly remembered over all the harsh animosity we had between us at the farm and considered our relationship now. We had come far and grown into such an easy friendship. When Lori met my gaze, I felt my lips tug up into a warm smile which Lori returned instantly.

When she grew weak, we returned Lori back to the couch just as Carl had finished feeding Lori. He handed the empty bottle back to Herschel before offering Judith back to his mother, who took the offered infant immediately. It was then that the farmer turned to me.

"I think it's best we leave them for a little while again." He told me, before smiling down at Lori. "You call if you need anything." Lori smiled in return and thanked us both. We both left them alone again, leaving a similar scene as before.

"She's improving so well." I noted, turning to look up at the old man. He nodded fondly.

"Which is excellent." He approved. "Though she's not perfect, it'll be easy for us to move her if the time comes that we have to _leave _this place." I studied the wary sigh that Herschel let out with a thoughtful mind.

"Do you think it's best if we did just leave?" I asked, hesitantly, and Herschel eyed me back with caution.

"As things currently stand, _yes.__"_He nodded. "I think it is best that we do leave this place, leave with our _lives _while we have them." I chewed my lip thoughtfully before nodding in return. _Everyone was allowed their own opinion on our next step, after all. _

Before I could reply though to the man, raised voices echoed around the cell block from below. Herschel and I glanced at each other before we moved further along the platform to find the source of the noise. Silently, I would have put _anything _down to Merle Dixon being the enforcer of this apparent argument, so when we neared the end of the platform and had full view of the benches below, where everyone were seated, I was surprised to note that Merle merely stood on the sidelines. _Observing_ this particular confrontation.

_No, it was the _other_ Dixon that was raising his voice this time. _What was more surprisingly was that _Rick _was the one who he was shouting _at. _

"-Daryl, you just need to _calm down._" Rick urged, his voice sounding ever so professional and _police-_like. The younger Dixon almost growled at the leader.

"_Calm down_?" Daryl hissed. "Ya want me to calm down after tellin' me _that!_" Rick seemed to shuffle awkwardly as the hunter spoke and Daryl caught onto this instantly and scoffed before glancing around at the spectators they had gathered. "Go on, how 'bout ya tell the rest of the group what ya just told me!"

"Daryl, please-"

"No!" Daryl cut in, pointing at the leader. I glanced nervously at Herschel beside me, wondering if I should intervene as no one below seemed brave enough to. This was a side of Daryl that was terrifyingly shocking, but had never been directed at Rick in such a way as now. The man beside me took in my expression before shaking my head at my silent question. "Ya tell these people _now. _Or I will, for ya!" Rick swallowed hard, glancing around the group before shaking his head once. Daryl snorted, shaking his head. "Go on. Ya better tell them 'bout the _vital _part of information ya missed out from ya little _talk _with the Governor the other day. Perhaps the most important part actually."

No response.

"Rick?" Glenn urged, cautiously. The leader raised his gaze to the Korean boy before glancing around the group again. When he finally raised his gaze to Herschel and I on the platform, his gaze lingered on me and I was surprised at the sadness in his eyes. When he turned to Herschel, I noted the nod that the man beside me gave Rick out of the corner of my eye. With a sigh, Rick ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"He gave me a _term. _A bargain offer." Rick began, slowly, his voice trembling. "An offer that if we took it, he'd back off and Woodbury would leave us alone." _Really? _It seemed almost too good to be true. The Governor had made a _bargain _with Rick? _A way out? _

"'Nd what was the Governor's," Merle began, his voice suspicious. "_Terms _for this?" Rick hesitated again.

"He wants-" Rick shook his head, seemingly unable to finish the sentence. Though an angered Daryl finished it for him.

"He wants _Ruby._"

I felt the weight of a heavy punch hit my chest at this confession and I almost staggered at Daryl's words. Eyes below turned up to me, but I only stared down at our leader - _the man who I had entrusted so much in - _who had hid this _important _bit of information from us all. _From me. _

_The Governor wanted me. _Why?

"'Nd here ya all are, thinkin' that _I__'__m _the evil one," Merle began slowly, his eyes lingering dangerously on Rick. "While all this time ya 'ave been followin' a man who is _willing _to hand over one of ya own to someone who wants to kill 'er. Or _worse._" Rick glared at the man before turning to me, shaking his head.

"_No._" Rick urged, his eyes pleading with me. "I _never _considered this as an option."

"Then why did you hide it from us?" Andrea demanded, harshly.

"Because I thought it was best that the group didn't know." Rick told her, Andrea scoffed at this reply.

"_Or _so it would be easier for ya to sneak Ruby's unconscious body to the Governor when ya found the time to knock her out." Merle muttered, bitterly.

"I wasn't going to-" Rick cut himself off harshly, staring around the group and looking increasingly desperate. "I didn't want to-"

"Rick wasn't going to hand Ruby over." Herschel cut in suddenly, eyes turning to the man then. "He informed _me _on this information the day he got back from the meeting. I can vouch for Rick when he says he was _not _going to give her in."

"So, ya gonna try tell us that ya didn't even _consider _the option?" Merle taunted, a sneer on his face. He stepped towards Rick slowly and no one bothered to tell him to back up. The only man that could anyway was Daryl, and the man seemed too angered to do _anything _right now. "Ya didn't think 'bout what ya'd do, _how _ya'd do it? Perhaps ya were gonna lure her down into the tombs, tell her that ya needed her to tighten up some security-"

"Stop it-"

"Couldn't snatch her up 'ere, _oh no. _Then what ya do when she's all alone? Knock her out? Tie her up with some wire so she can't chew her way out?" Merle got dangerously close to Rick's face and eyed the man with a glare. "Put her in the back of one of ya cars 'nd get out of 'ere while everyone is _busy_. Take her to the meetin' point, _to him, _'nd hand her over like some God damn _award? _Then trundle back 'ere with ya tail between ya legs 'nd try 'nd convince us all that it was the _right thing _to do." Merle sneered at the man before him. "My, my, Officer Friendly. Seems to make ya almost as bad as _him _now, don't it?"

In an instant, Rick shoved Merle away harshly and the bigger man staggered back against the bench. The older Dixon snarled at this but attempted to charge back at the leader, trying to take a swipe at him with his bayonet before Tyreese quickly got himself between the pair. After a few moment's hesitation, Daryl joined Tyreese, though he seemed initially unwilling, and the pair were able to restrain both men and keep them at a safe distance apart.

"What were the full terms?" I asked, cutting through the tense air below. Rick paused before hesitantly raising his gaze to me.

"Ruby-"

"Rick, _please._" I urged, firmly. Rick nodded slowly before sighing.

"He told me," Rick began slowly. "He told me that for Woodbury to back off completely, that he wanted us to hand _you _to him. He told me that if we did this, then he'd leave us all alone." He paused to swallow hard. "But if we didn't hand you in, if we didn't turn up at the next meeting scheduled that they'd take that as our final answer. They'd take that as a straight out _invitation _to engage in a war and _no more _discussions on the matter would be made." When he hesitated again, he turned to me with a pleading gaze again, one so full of sadness. "I _never _would hand you to the Governor, Ruby. I didn't tell you because I wanted to avoid panic, _not _because I was considering his offer as an option. _Please, _Ruby, you have to believe that."

Despite his genuine words and careful expressions, _I didn__'__t believe him. _But, _I wasn__'__t mad. _Rick had a _family _to consider, a new born baby. While we were a group, who cared for one another, the love between a family was another matter altogether. A much stronger bond perhaps in the Grimes' case. And while Rick may not have outright intended to carry out the deal of handing me over, I knew that no doubt the ideas crossed his mind. _Handing me over could save his family__'__s life. _It could save _everyone__'__s. _Giving me over could avoid war, avoid _more_ death.

"It seems awfully odd that the Governor only asked for _Ruby__'__s _head." Merle muttered, cautiously. Michonne nodded in agreement.

"Why didn't he ask for me too?" She demanded, firmly. "Or Merle? We've both done equally as much as Ruby has to him." Rick shook his head once.

"He's not interested in revenge against _Merle_, he said Merle's 'traitorous' acts are too _petty _to consider now." Rick explained, dully. "And he apparently has already dealt out his revenge on _Michonne._" The woman herself narrowed her eyes, but surprisingly didn't show _any _signs of weakness for her treatment at the hands of the Governor. "He said he has '_unfinished business__'_with Ruby." At Rick's words, my stomach turned at the implications of what the Governor _wanted _to do.

Though all the dark thoughts and fears were overridden when I observed those around me, those I had grown to _care _so much for. The Governor had provided a way out for them, a way to _survive. _While our efforts and planning were all well and good, we could _never _truly determine if they would work. But _now-_

All it took to keep them all safe - to keep Sophia, Lori, _Daryl _safe _- _was to give myself up to him. Even with the evident implications and the knowledge that I would be tortured before being killed, _perhaps not even killed_, it seemed to be trodden on with the thoughts that I could _save _them all with just one act. I had already considered the idea that my life was no longer important anymore, but the lives of those around me was something that certainly was valuable to _me. _Now that Rick had confessed this bit of information, I felt overwhelmed with this new knowledge, this new _pressure. _This new _obligation. _

And now I couldn't deny that the offer seemed tempting to me.

The air around me suddenly seemed to close in and with these new ideas milling around my head, the eyes that seemed to linger on me from below, I felt the need to leave the group's company. _Immediately. _

"Excuse me." I muttered, probably only loud enough for Herschel to hear. I manoeuvred myself around him, vaguely aware that everyone had stopped talking below

"Ruby, wait!" Herschel tried though I shook my head when the man tried to reach for me.

"I'm going to rest." I told him, avoiding his gaze. "I don't want _anyone _to come see me." Without waiting for Herschel's reply, I walked away and found my cell. Inside, I fell onto the bed, lying on my back and staring up at the framework on the bunk above. My head just whirled with ideas.

_He told me that for Woodbury to back off completely, that he wanted us to hand _you_ to him._

_But if we didn__'__t hand you in__…__ They__'__d take that as a straight out _invitation _to engage in a war and no more discussions on the matter would be made._

Handing myself in to the Governor would stop the _war _that was brewing between us, would put an end to this fear of attack that the group lived in now. _It would save their lives. _

I considered all those around me that had died at the hands of the Governor since Michonne and I had left his camp and wondered if perhaps _I _had a hand in any of their deaths.

_Dale. _He had been shot by one of the Governor's men on the attack on the farm. An attack that wouldn't have hit us if I had urged the group to leave _sooner. _We could have moved on before they moved in on us. Dale could have lived, as could Patricia, Jimmy, Beth, _Carol. _If we had left sooner, then Sophia would still have her mother with her. No matter how much I looked after her, cared for her, I could _never _and never _wanted _to be a replacement for Carol. The responsibility of Sophia had fallen on me perhaps as a fall out for my actions, _for what I had done. _

_Laurent, Jessica. _I had started out in this new world beside them both and now they're both dead and I continue on alone. Laurent, the man that had undoubtedly saved my life and helped me become capable to survive this new world, the man who had taken care of me, even when I left the clutches of the Governor. He had expressed the likeliness I had to his daughter and my heart ached at the thought. Laurent wasn't a _bad _man and I _should _have urged him to come with us on that night Michonne and I escaped. I should have pushed all petty annoyance aside and downright _begged _him to come. _But I didn__'__t. _And he fell at the hands of the Governor. Despite Merle the trigger, I felt that _I _was the one that set the ball rolling to Laurent's death. _And Jessica-_

My beloved little sister who had betrayed me _three _times during this new world. Though the more I thought about it, I realised that perhaps I had driven her to it. I should have fought harder to take her away from that place, I should have fought harder to take her away from _him. _I was her _big sister _and I abandoned her. I knew from the start that she was incapable of truly surviving a world like this and I should have taken better care for her. _She was scared. _In her final betrayal, I should have seen past the bitterness and observed the fear in her eyes. I should have been the big sister _I wasn__'__t. _

_Axel. _A man who's good nature and nervousness never did any harm on anyone. Though everyone's initial caution with the man, he had proven his loyalty and _shouldn__'__t _have died. But he died because of _me. _Because I hesitated in putting Toby down. I _should _have seen the signs, _should _have seen past the dreamer's idea that he had survived - that wasn't the world we lived in anymore. I _should _have put him down before he had taken Axel down with him.

And _Toby. _Who fell at the hands of Martinez's trigger and yet was only there because of _me. _All Toby did constantly was prove his loyalty for me, for the _group. _He had constantly saved my life and in those final days, _weeks, _leading up to his death, I had barely acknowledged the dog's presence. After _everything _he had done for me. And in the end, I didn't have the _courage _to put him down when I should have and now all that remained of my fallen companion was the leftovers from a walker's dinner. _Toby was better than that. _

Considering all the fallen, I realised that if it wasn't for _me _then perhaps they'd all still be alive. The only deaths I seemed able to rule out were those of the other inmates, Allen's family, T-Dog and Shane - _they had all died from other faults and circumstances. _My thoughts then turned to those who still remained _living, _those who had I cared for now, who I seemed more than happy to call my _family. _

It seemed evident to me now that our likelihood of winning this war seemed bleak and the Governor had offered us a way out of this bloodbath. A way out that would _save _those I _loved. _Even thinking about what the Governor would do to me, had no effect. All those memories from Woodbury were pushed aside now, with the heightening idea that in _one _final act, those around me could be spared from death. _My life was worthless compared to theirs. _

And perhaps in this final act, it may be considered _redemption _for those whose deaths I had already played a hand at. I could offer _my _life in exchange for _theirs. _

But that would also come at a price for _me. _Despite the obvious pain that I'd endure at the hands of the Governor, I would leave Sophia - go against Carol's wishes. But surely this act _is _me looking after Sophia? By giving myself in, I would be saving the girl's life and therefore still abide by Carol's request. I'd never get to see Sophia grow, I'd leave her without a sustainable guardian. Though in a group like ours, surely someone would step up for the little girl? She'd have plenty to care for her, my life wasn't _that _important.

The final meeting with the Governor was scheduled for the next day at noon. So that meant I had little time to act now, but I felt more determind now that the ideas had been considered. _I was going to give myself in to the Governor, to save the group. _To save Daryl, Rick, Lori and the others too. To save _Sophia._

Sophia returned to our cell, apparently blissfully unaware of the argument that had ensued in her absence. She informed me of her times on watch with immense pride and I smiled fondly as I listened to her retell her tales. I took note of the growing darkness outside and realised that I had little time left with Sophia before I would leave the prison and head to the meeting point, _ready to hand myself over. _Distraught by this, I quickly urged the girl to sit beside me on my bunk.

"I'll do your hair again for you." I suggested and Sophia jumped at the offer, placing herself in front of me and playing absently with Eliza the rag doll as I combed through her locks.

I took in those moments we shared together, feeling so overwhelmingly warm in the girl's presence and truly feeling at ease, content. When I had finished with her hair, she sat herself beside me, leaning her head against my shoulder. Mostly we just sat in compatible silence and I relished the company, my chest feeling heavy at the prospect of the next day. I noticed the yawns that were becoming more frequent with Sophia and realised she had little time left before she drifted into her dream-filled unconsciousness.

"You know something, Sophia." I began, quietly, aware that the girl was pretty much half asleep by now. She hummed in response and I smiled weakly. "You're the most important thing to me in this world and I would _die _protecting you." My throat began to tighten and I tried to swallow. "If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now. When I found you in the forest that day, it may seem like it was _me _that saved _you, _but infact it wasn't. It was the other way around." I chuckled faintly, sniffing to pull the tears back in. "Your mother wanted me to take care of you and I've tried my very best to do so. And right now, your life is in danger and I need to do something about it." A single tear trickled down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly. "Everything is going to be _alright. _I'm going to make sure that you'll be _alright. _My final act, Sophia, is for _you. _To keep you safe." The girl gave me no response and I wondered if she'd properly fallen asleep. I still kept going though. "And you've got to be strong, when I've gone. The group will take care of you, _you__'__ll never be alone._ But I want you to know," I paused to bit back more tears that wanted to break through. I hitched a sob and took a deep breath. "I want you to know that _I love you._"

"Love you too, Ruby-" Sophia murmured, sleepily. I chuckled weakly, realising that her response was too far gone, that while she may not be fully asleep, she probably hadn't registered a lot of what I had just said to her. _It didn__'__t matter though. _After a brief moment of silence, Sophia's soft breathes concluded that the girl had finally succumbed to sleep and for what felt like forever, I merely sat there with Sophia sleeping against me.

Listening to the movements of those in the cell block, I realised that everyone had gone to rest for the night. After waiting a while afterwards, just enough time for everyone to fall asleep, I gently pried Sophia away and laid the girl down on my bunk. Sophia shuffled a little but didn't stir. With shaky hands, I tucked the girl in and placed a careful kiss on her forehead, smiling sadly down at her slumbering form.

My rifle and handgun sat in the corner as usual, but I decided quickly that I would leave them behind. _The group would need them more than me. _Instead, I took my knife, for protection. _It was no good getting myself killed before handing myself in. _I spared one last look to the girl in my bed - the girl who had saved my life so very long ago - before leaving and making my way slowly across the platform, as quietly as I could.

I passed many occupied cells, all inhabitants resting inside. The stairs were a difficult job, but I managed to get down them with little noise made. Objects on the benches, caught my attention and I walked slowly towards them. I realised quickly that the group had left the two maps we possessed out on the surface, probably after their discussion earlier that evening. I noted quickly that they both had circled the location of the meeting point, as well as Woodbury. Though I had been to the meeting point with Rick and Daryl, I worried then that my memory may fail me so I quickly folded up one of the maps and tucked it away in my trouser pocket. On the remaining one, I quickly picked up a pencil that lay discarded on the table top and scrawled a single message; _"__I__'__m sorry__"__. _

Taking one last look at the wall of cells, which held all those I had grown to care for within, I hesitated. _These were the people I was willing to die for. _It saddened me that I wouldn't get to say goodbye to them all. I wouldn't get to hold Judith again, see her, Carl or Sophia grow up, I wouldn't get to see Lori back to her full strength. I wouldn't get to tell Rick that I forgave him for keeping the information from me. I wouldn't get to talk to Michonne again or argue with Merle over another petty thing. _I wouldn__'__t get to see Daryl. _I never would hear _his _side of the conversation we had had about our 'feelings'. At least I had hinted enough at _mine_. Though I would leave sorrowful that _this _was how it would end between us, I could at least leave knowing that I was _saving _him. _And the others. _

With a quiet sigh, I made my way to the cell block door, leaving Cell Block A and making my way to the yard. Each step, a step away from turning back.

After recalling my memory from listening to the group's conversations earlier, I noted that Tyreese and Michonne had taken watch again. _The pair always seemed to be on watch! _But with a bitter chuckle, I realised that this worked in my favour. It would be much easier to leave the prison while the two lovers were otherwise _occupied. _

I made it into the yard and eyed the guard tower carefully. Two figures were visible but they seemed to be in a somewhat _awkward _position. _This was my shot. _Quickly I rushed across the yard to the first perimeter fence. I wasted no time trying to find a gap and may my own with my knife, making sure it was minor and capable of allowing me to crawl through. I did the same with the next, but tried to tie it back up the best I could.

_That was it. _I had made it out of the prison and I hesitated again to stare through the fences at the establishment that had become my _home _over all these months. I smiled sadly at all the memories; sad, happy, horrific, _valuable. _I regarded it one last time before turning and walking away, leaving those I loved inside and beginning the journey to my _almost _certain death.

* * *

"… _and they all lived happily ever after_." Jessica sniggered, throwing the book aside. "Do you not just find yourself envying characters in fairytales?" I eyed my sister from across the kitchen as I was preparing dinner for us both. _My sister is odd, _I noted.

"Can't say I've given it too much thought." I admitted, throwing the crust of some bread into Toby's dish. The dog ate it anxiously. "I find that most of the women in those stories are much too _dramatic._" Jessica hummed in agreement. "And weak. And _needy._"

"_But, _the prince _still _falls for her!" Jessica pointed out. I scoffed and shrugged. "Suppose I do envy _that _part. I would _love _to have a charming, handsome _prince _sweep me off my feet." I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my younger sister.

"Doesn't turn out that way in _real _life though." I sighed. "You got to _work _for your prince, Jessica." She nodded in agreement, eyeing the book she had thrown aside.

"You know what annoys me the most about these women?" She began and I raised an eyebrow in question. "That they _always _need to be saved by the prince. I mean, why not spice it up a bit and have the _princess _being the one who saved the _prince?_" I shrugged, smiling fondly at Jessica. She opened her mouth to continue her rant, but the radio crackled loudly.

"… _emergency announcement__…__ unknown virus__…__ lock your doors, stay inside__…__ worldwide epidemic__…"_The newsreader crackled and hissed some more but no more words could be made out. I frowned at what I _did _manage to pick up though. _What was going on? _

"You _really _need to get a new radio." Jessica snorted. "Try a different station, those radio shows are just getting weirder." Still confused at what I had just heard, I obliged anyway, but eventually turned the radio off and concluded that it was just _broken._

* * *

I woke up in an extremely uncomfortable position but quickly noted that was because I had spent the night resting in a _tree. Just like old times_. I had decided that I could afford some rest before heading straight to the meeting point as the Governor would be expecting me at noon. After checking the ground below was clear, I climbed down. I took a moment's pause to stretch my limbs from the uncomfortable position I had rested in before checking the map I had taken from the prison.

My knowledge at map reading wasn't the best, but I soon figured out my location and with a tired sigh, I continued on.

As I drew nearer to the old mill, I couldn't help but become fearful. A few times I considered turning back, but my urge to save the group kept me going. I encountered little walkers on my journey and tried to avoid them when I could.

When I finally found myself at the old mill again, I had to pause on the outskirts to gather myself. My body shook from fear and I gripped the knife in my hand tightly. I observed the abandoned area and wondered if I was early. I attempted to swallow hard as my throat had become constricted but the fear began to mount up again. The memories from my time at Woodbury came back to me and that made to stop dead for a moment as I realised that giving myself up would mean I'd have to endure all that again and _more. _

When Sophia's face sprouted to mind again though, I bit back the fear and braved a step forward, ready to announce myself to the Governor and his men. _Ready to give myself up. _

The place seemed far too quiet and I glanced around nervously as I made my way further in. The Governor and his men didn't seem to be here yet, but I attempted to manoeuvre myself to the same building we had met in last time, prepared to wait for them. All the buildings looked the same though and it wasn't until I heard the sounds of approaching vehicles that I paused to reconsider my situation again.

The sounds of the cars seemed to stop a little way away and I realised how vast this location actually was. _They were here though. _While I could not see them, I knew that it was them and that _this _was it. I stared down at the blade in my hand before realising that I would need it no more and tucked it into my belt with shaking movements. Then I turned in the direction the vehicles had stopped at and knew that rounding the next building could put me in direct line of sight of them. _Then it would be over and I would not be able to turn back. _Thinking my options over, I allowed myself a deep sigh, battling down my fears, before taking the first step forward-

_Only to be barrelled, face-down, to the floor. _

A heavy weight pinned me down and for a moment I couldn't breath as the air had been winded out of me. _What the hell had just happened? _In an instant, rough hands had flipped me over onto my back and my eyes widened at the figure that had me pinned to the floor.

_Daryl. _

I opened my mouth to breath his name, though his hand quickly covered it and he glared harshly down at me. I shook my heard desperately. _He wasn__'__t here, he couldn__'__t be here! _I feared for his safety then, realising that he _shouldn__'__t _be here and tried to silently urge this point across. The hunter said nothing though and quickly pulled himself to his feet, hauling me up with him.

With his grip around my waist and a hand still covering my mouth, Daryl all but dragged me into the nearest building, prying the door open with his foot and practically throwing me to the floor, so he could close it again. I remained on the floor, dazed for moment - _this shouldn__'__t be happening - _before clambering to my feet and turning to the hunter.

"What the _hell _are you doing here?" I hissed, furious with the man. Daryl growled at me before quickly striding over to one of the broken windows to eye the scene outside. I stared incredulously at the man, running desperate hands through my hair in complete frustration. "Answer me, Daryl!"

"Think a better question is what the hell are _you _doin' here!" Daryl grunted in return, turning to glare at me harshly. I shied away from his gaze and took a few steps back when the hunter approached me. "Y'know, I woke up this mornin' with a little girl _cryin__'_in my cell. Sophia had woken up to find ya missin' 'nd had come to _beg _me to find ya. She was worried 'cos ya were sayin' some strange things to her last night 'nd when she told me, I _knew _what ya were plannin'." Daryl shook his head in disbelief. "She was so _scared, _Ruby. So God damn, _scared._ What the hell are ya thinkin'?!" I was startled by his words but shook my head once.

"I'm going to hand myself over," I began, quietly. Daryl's eyes widened. "To _protect _the group." The hunter shook his head. "I _have _to, Daryl-"

"_No!__" _Daryl cut in quickly. "Ya _don__'__t. _What's the matter with ya, girl. Ya bein' stupid!" I raised an eyebrow and Daryl pointed harshly in the general direction of the Governor and his men. "Ya really think that handin' yourself to him with solve anything? Ya really think that if ya give yourself to him that he still won't launch an attack? Ya 'ave said it yourself, he ain't gonna be happy knowing that we're so close to him. He wants us _gone _'nd that's it." He paused to step closer. "Givin' us the option of 'peace' is just another cruel trick of his, ya gotta see that, girl." I took in his words and shook my head once.

"I _need _to." I breathed. "I can't stand by knowing that I could do _something _to protect the group. Winning against Woodbury isn't looking such a prospect in our future now, _we have to face that. _But the Governor has offered a way out for you. I'm willing to give myself up to protect you all."

"No-" Daryl hissed, harshly.

"Yes, Daryl!" I cut in. "_My _life means _little _to me now. But Sophia's life, Lori's life, _your life._" I shook my head, desperation overwhelming me. "I _care _about you all and I can't just sit by and know that more people will die because of _me._" Daryl frowned at this.

"What do ya mean; _because of you?_" He demanded, slowly.

"Look at those we've lost because of the Governor!" I cried. "Dale, Carol, Beth, Axel, my own _sister_… So _many_ more! And I can't help but feel that they died because of _me. _Because I didn't fight harder, because I didn't act when I should-"

"Don't be stupid, Ruby. They're not dead because of _you._"

"Don't call me stupid!" I hissed, shaking my head. Daryl backed off a little at my bitter tone. I observed the hunter for a moment before sighing tearfully. "I bring the badness with me, Daryl. The Governor; he's followed me for _so _long now and _so _many people have died along the way, at his hands." I bit back the tears and shook my head. "Since leaving his camp, I've kept moving but people who I've met along the way have _died. _Died because the Governor is hounding me and I drag people into my mess of an existence." _Just like the old man holding up the barn. I had left Morgan and Duane to save them from the Governor__'__s clutches too. And now I had to do the same with Daryl and the group. _"I _can__'__t, _I _won__'__t, _let him do the same to you guys. _I won__'__t let you all die because of me._" Daryl stared sorrowfully at me for a long moment of time before shaking his head.

"Ya can't blame yourself for what that man has done." He breathed, softly. "'Cos _none _of it is ya fault. Ya gotta believe that, girl. _He__'__s _the evil one, _he__'__s _the one that killed Dale, Carol, Beth, Axel-" A pause. "_And _ya sister. _Not you._"

"He's here because of me, Daryl. He's been following me-"

"He would 'ave come here anyway." Daryl shook his head again. "The world's too small now to believe that we could 'ave hidden from him forever. Ya gotta realise that." I stared tearfully at the hunter, too lost now to even think about our situation. I didn't know what to think now, my thoughts were just a mess. "I guess I know _now_ why Rick kept this information from us. Reckon it was safer _not _knowin'. 'Nd I _believe _him when he said he ain't considered handin' ya over. _None _of the group would 'ave done."

"When given the chance of peace, Daryl, I can imagine that the thought crossed _everyone__'__s _minds." I muttered, bitterly. The hunter chuckled dryly.

"Ya wrong there, girl." He countered. "Ain't _nobody _back at that prison who wants to give ya up. We've all said it all along; we're a _family _now. Ain't _nothing _gonna change that 'nd this 'Governor' is a fool to think he can stir that up by throwin' this line of bullshit in."

"I owe it to _Sophia, _Daryl. Above all else." I murmured. "I promised Carol I would keep her safe and by doing this, I am _trying _to."

"Sophia needs ya _alive. _'Nd I sure as hell know that if she knew what ya were plannin' to do, she'd be the first one to chase ya down 'nd drag ya back." Daryl scoffed, attempting to smirk lightly at me. "Man, the girl would give _me _a run for my money!" I smiled weakly at the hunter, the overbearing pressure overwhelming me as the hunter gave me words that just conflicted with the ideas I already had. My mind just battled each option now and Daryl seemed to notice this. "_You _more than most, Ruby, know what the Governor is 'bout. Ya _know _how he works. Ya can't honestly think that he'd honour the agreement if ya gave yourself up?" I shrugged carelessly.

"I _know _it's a gamble, Daryl." I began, slowly. "But it's one that I'm willing to take, to keep you all safe." Though the room we were in was dark, I still noticed the way Daryl's expression softened at my words and the hunter shook his head sadly.

"Ya worth _more _than just a gamble, girl."

His statement stunned us both unto silence and we merely regarded each other in the dark, before being interrupted by the sounds of approaching voices. Warily, we both approached the broken window pane and stared out, careful not to be seen.

Martinez led the group, which was made up of over a dozen men it seemed. _All heavily armed. _The group paraded around the abandoned area, laughing and chatting amongst each other. I noticed the Governor lingered at the back, his eyes scanning the area carefully, a firm look set on his face that was visible from where Daryl and I hid. I was taken back by the large group that Woodbury had brought and wondered briefly what had happened to the agreement of _two per side_.

"The Governor's packin' big." Daryl noted with a mutter. "It sure as hell doesn't seem like he was gonna be givin' the same _friendly _greetin' as last time, does it?" I swallowed hard at this development. "Looks to me like he was plannin' to gun down Rick 'nd whoever brought ya to him."

"You don't know that for sure." I tried to urge, though wasn't so certain now. Daryl chuckled humourlessly.

"Then explain to me what happened to the rule of only bringin' Martinez 'nd Milton?" He countered, quietly. "Seems like he didn't want _anyone _to leave 'ere alive after he got ya. He'd no doubt head to the prison 'nd open fire next, kill the remainin' ones there too." My mind just screamed in agony at all this. _How lost our hope appeared to be now. _"Funny how the Governor has so little faith in our loyalty to ya, he seems mighty prepared for us to bring ya to him."

"Or for _me _to give myself up" I muttered.

"Which ya _ain__'__t._" I turned to the hunter with a raised eyebrow and the man gently took my arm to lead me away from the window, so we couldn't be seen. "Don't ya see now that ya sacrifice is wasted? Ya come back with me now, we'll tell the others, we'll prepare for the next move. Whether it be runnin' or stayin' to fight, it doesn't matter. We do it _together _though." I struggled to grasp onto Daryl's hope, now only seeing sorrow and death in our future now. I shook my head wordlessly for a moment, feeling so overwhelmed with failure.

"Daryl, I can't-" I barely got out. Daryl grabbed my shoulders and shook me firmly.

"I ain't leavin' here w_ithout _ya." He muttered, shaking his head. "I promised Sophia that I'd find ya." Daryl paused, glancing at the window then back to me. "'Nd if ya won't come with me, then I'll _stay here_. I'll stay here with _you _'nd we'll give ourselves up _together._" My eyes widened at the prospect.

"No!" I hissed. "No, you will _not._" Daryl smirked, easily.

"Ya can't exactly stop me, can ya?" He countered, smugly. I shook my head, horrified at his idea and how willing he was just to die like that.

"Are you crazy? Don't be such an idiot!" I tried, wanting nothing more than to will Daryl away, to head back to the prison and out of _this _mess. "Your brother is at the prison, Daryl." I urged, hoping that Daryl would see sense. "You can't do this to him after you've both found each other again." Daryl smiled sadly.

"'Nd Sophia is at the prison, waitin' for ya." He retorted. "She expects ya back safely 'nd I ain't gonna disappoint her. Even if it means I 'ave to drag ya." There was an amused twinkle in his eye and I let out a breathless chuckle.

"Drag me?" I muttered, smiling weakly in return. "Seems a little barbaric." Daryl's smirked widened - just as it had last time we had had a similar conversation as this one.

"Then I'll carry ya." He shrugged, which led me to smiled faintly at the reminder of past memories. In that moment of silence, I considered the options before me and slowly my mind began to dwindle of the ideas of giving myself up. The men outside seemed to reiterate Daryl's statement that no matter what our decision was regarding handing me over, the Governor still seemed to plan an attack on the prison. Now in a better frame of mind, I realised that _this _was exactly the card the Governor would play. _And that I__'__d let him get to me. _

I felt disappointed in myself for allowing him to get to me. I shouldn't have allowed the doubts to creep in, to overwhelm me as they did. I shouldn't have let it get me to this point. _To the point where he__'__d win finally. No_, we'd been engaging in this little game between the pair of us for _so _long now. The odds were stacking up and at the moment, the Governor was winning. He was throwing out the big dogs now, trying to reel me in so he could rack in the winnings. _But I wasn__'__t going to let him. _

Despite the slim hope of winning, the strive to _beat _him once and for all drove me to the point where I'd fight _right to the death _to end this deadly game we were playing. _I had to end this with him_. Running didn't seem to be an option now to me. I had done that for so long and all the Governor did was keep _following _me. _No. _

I would make this stand at the prison my last. _I needed it to end now. _I couldn't continue this game any longer with him.

The man before me eyed me warily, seemingly thinking that I was still wanting to give myself up. I smiled faintly at the worry creases on the man's forehead and this seemed to ease his tension.

"Why did you come after me?" I asked, quietly. "_Alone? _When Sophia told you that I was missing, why didn't you bring the others?" Daryl seemed to struggle with his answer for a moment, a frown playing on his lips as he considered his reply. I waited, patiently, as I _needed _a response from him.

"Ya asked me to show ya." He breathed, hesitantly. I raised an eyebrow for him to elaborate. "The other day, ya asked me to show ya how I er-" A pause as the hunter shifted awkwardly. "_Felt._" At this, I couldn't help but beam up at hunter, realising that _this _was Daryl's reply to my request. The hunter was a man of few words it seemed on the matter, but his actions spoke so many volumes.

"You know," I began, smirking up at the awkward man. "When I said for you to 'show me', _this _wasn't exactly what I was meaning."

There was a tense moment as Daryl eyed me cautiously, his brow burrowing again as he threw himself back into his thoughtful turmoil. Judging by the red tinge on his cheeks, my words had obviously increased his awkwardness. Despite our current situation and the danger that we were quite possibly in, I only revelled in the hunter's nervousness and my feelings for the man before me were all I could consider in that moment.

My previous thoughts of handing myself over were still there but suddenly Daryl's hands were on either side on my face and before I could even decipher the expression on the man's face, his lips had found mine.

I yelped against his lips in surprise. Surprised by his _bold _actions, surprised by the sudden turn in the hunter, surprised at how urgently his lips sought against mine, _almost in desperation. _After hesitating in shock for a moment, my body worked into overdrive. My hands gripped onto his forearms and I returned the kiss with equal amount of urgency.

My head was dazed, my stomach was somersaulting uncontrollably, _what the hell was happening? _I would never have dreamed for this, _never have guessed. _This was a side of Daryl that I certainly wouldn't have imagined.

My body swayed in a daze as Daryl pretty much _attacked _my mouth furiously, my body tingled, ached, _shook. _I held onto his forearms in fear of staggering under the intensity of the moment and unintentionally moaned into Daryl's mouth as his teeth grazed my bottom lip. In a moment of weakness. _How had Daryl done this to me? _

When Daryl pulled away, I found myself lost of breath. I felt his panting breath, mingling in with my own in the slither of space between us and for a moment we both just _were. _Daryl's entire _being _intoxicated me; _his familiar scent, his searing touch, his ragged breath. _And no doubt if I opened my eyes too, I'd see a familiar pair staring back. In that moment, I'd never been _so _sure about my feelings for the hunter and this appeared to be the clearest the hunter's had ever been too.

"Come back with me." Daryl breathed, his voice husky and shaky. Absently, I ran my thumb up and down his forearm, trying to gather the thoughts that Daryl had just managed to completely diminish in the slightest of moments. Slowly, I took Daryl's hand from my face and pulled myself away from the hunter, providing some space between us so I could think. When I opened my eyes and found his, I noticed a pleading glint in them, as well as an extreme sense of vulnerability from the man. "Ya know this is a lost hope now, girl. We go back _now_, get the others ready. Together, we'll figure something out, some way to _beat him. _I ain't leavin' ya here." Before I could even think, I found myself nodding slowly and Daryl's eyes lit up in relief.

"Alright." I murmured, finding my voice weak and unstable. "But you _know _if I leave now, without handing myself in, there's _no _going back. We _really _would be preparing for war. You know that, right?" A familiar smirk that made me race lit up the hunter's face.

"Then we better _hurry_ back."

* * *

_(Author's Note): Quick update, I'm making up for my terrible updating last time. I'm VERY wary about this chapter and I kinda feel that it's not one of my best. If you guys think I should reconsider it, then I'll take it down and tweek it again, because I think this is a chapter that I'd like to get right. My main concern is Ruby's want to hand herself in. Hopefully I've delved enough through her decision with her thoughts? I guess it may be an idea that I could have expanded but due to the vastness of my story already, I don't really want to prolong things longer than they actually need to be. Though I'd really appreciate your opinions on this! _

_And Season Three is over! I've literally just finished watching the finale and dear Lord, what an ending! Andrea, Milton... Wow! And this new development with Tyreese, Sasha and was it Karen? I wonder how this new lot will effect the prison now. They've certainly expanded! I'm really pleased that Tyreese now has a chance to develop as I really would have been disappointed if they killed him off now, he hasn't had much of a chance yet. Can't wait to see what Season Four will bring for him! And everyone, to be honest! A great episode to end on, in my opinion. Though the only bit I am concerned with is Andrea... I know she wasn't a favourite but I wonder if it was a little TOO early? What are your thoughts on the episode? Guess now I don't have to beg for no spoilers anymore! :) _

_A special thanks to _carniwhore _who has made some awesome work for this fic, the latest two are my personal favourites. Check them, and all the other fanwork for _Loginquitas, _out_ _on my profile; _"RIP Toby" _and _"No One Better" _especially. Thanks again for all your awesome work! _

_Now that Season Three has finished, I'm going to have to set my imagination into overdrive and work out where I shall go on from here. As it stands, I'm going to be venturing well away from the show soon - as it has now finished until the end of the year - and my influence may now delve mostly from the comics and my own imagination from how the series has left us and what ideas I have floating around. It will be hard to work from, as when the show comes back I should be quite ahead of the show's actions. Hopefully people are cool with that? I'm mostly worried for putting ideas from the comics in that may perhaps spoil some stuff that may happen in the future of the show (for those who haven't read it). But then again, the show isn't quite so inline with the comics! I'll no doubt throw some completely new ideas in too, so I just want to make sure that people are fine that this story will be going completely AU soon, as I can't really work with much else now the show has finished for a while. Any ideas are welcomed as I would love to hear other's take on how the storyline will continue now the series has finished for a while. _

_Rant over! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed and read this story so far. I appreciate all the comments from the previous chapter, please tell me what you think of my latest update! I'll update when I can, though I'll be getting my ideas together first, so please bear with me. Thanks again. _


	46. Chapter Forty Five

_Chapter Forty Five_

"You're a dumbass, ya know that right?" Daryl muttered, breaking the comfortable silence between us as we made our way back to the prison.

The hunter was taking the lead as expected, his crossbow at the ready and his eyes ever vigilant. I remained a few paces behind with Daryl's gun in my hand - the man had scolded me for disregarding my own gun back at the prison and had ruefully given me his own for extra protection. I eyed the back of the man's head with a raised eyebrow at his abrupt comment before the man sent a smirk over his shoulder at my lack of response.

"And why's that?" I pressed.

We were making good pace and would reach the prison soon enough, Daryl had told me. Getting back _inside _the grounds though, would be an issue. Given that the grounds were completely overrun with walkers. Though Daryl had assured me earlier that we would cross that bridge when we came to it. I still had an uneasy feeling in me about the prospect.

"It was a dumbass idea to come out here to hand yourself over." He grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at me again with a harsher expression. "Did ya _really _think things would be that easy? 'Cos I always thought ya were supposed to be the smart one, girl." I sighed deeply.

"I lost my head in it all, Daryl." I admitted, now realising how foolish my ideas had been. "And with everything going on, I hardly see that as a surprise." There was a thoughtful pause from the man.

"Yeah, I guess ya right." He muttered, before turning fully to eye me with a teasing glare. "Just don't do it again."

I grinned at his half-hearted scowl and noticed how the hunter's ears reddened and how quickly he resumed his previous position, facing away from me. He was still embarrassed by our earlier _encounter _no doubt. We lulled back into silence again and I couldn't help but smile at Daryl's figure when reminiscing the memories of our recent kiss. Suddenly though, a random thought occurred to me.

"Milton told me they have women and children in Woodbury." I announced. There was a pause before Daryl's pace slowed to meet mine and the man glanced down at me with a confused expression.

"There a reason ya suddenly bringin' up _Glasses_?" He asked, slowly. I gave him a small smile.

"I just had a thought, that's all." Daryl scoffed.

"Reckon we should be worried 'bout ya just 'havin' a thought' now. Look where 'just having a thought' ended ya up today." He muttered and I shoved his arm lightly, earning a snigger from the man. "What ya gettin' at any way, girl?"

"It's just," I paused to bite my lip thoughtfully. "There's a lot of people that are being lied to and brainwashed by the Governor in that town, and they're not _all_ soldiers. There are _innocent _people in Woodbury too." I glanced up at Daryl to see a curious frown on the man's face. "I just wonder whether we should try and reach out to them, maybe try through Milton? When I spoke to him that day of the meeting, he seemed to have doubts about the Governor and maybe we could work with that? Work to try and help those who are innocent, get out." There was a brief pause as Daryl considered my words thoughtfully.

"Why are ya all concerned all of a sudden 'bout the welfare of Woodbury residents?" He muttered, shaking his head once. I shrugged, half-heartedly.

"Guess I just have this incessant need to save people all of a sudden." I replied with a sigh, earning myself an amused smirk from the man beside me.

"We got enough problems of our own to worry 'bout, girl. Let's just stick to our own people before we start with anyone else, huh?" Daryl suggested in a light tone, though the expression he sent me spoke a thousand words. _It__'__s either _them_ or _us_ at the end of the day. _I nodded mutely and argued no more. I understood where Daryl was getting at though I still pondered over my suggestion in silence.

We carried on at a quick pace, Daryl taking to jogging and urging me to follow. I did so, ruefully, feeling too exhausted to keep up with his strides and lingered behind. When the view of the prison came into sight, Daryl slowed and allowed me to catch up. After announcing that I wasn't 'fit enough for this', Daryl allowed me to catch my breath, amused at my panting. I only just briefly caught the way Daryl's eyes racked up and down my body at my comment, before the man quickly averted his gaze. His stare made me blush and I coughed awkwardly, trying to clear my head, and turned to the prison before us. From our distance away, we observed the grounds and noted that _now _we had come to the next bridge in our line of problems.

Daryl let out a sigh as we stared at the overrun grass compound that was between us and the yard. The walkers staggered aimlessly, seemingly without meaning, though some lingered by the yard gates and clawed at the mesh of fencing. The vast number of them was terrifying and I swallowed down the dread when I realised we'd have to go through it.

"How did you get out?" I muttered, keeping my eyes on the compound.

"Jumped the fence." Daryl replied, evenly. "Didn't fancy dealin' with any geeks, would have taken too long." He paused and glanced down at me before pointing to the perimeter fence. "Wouldn't recommend it though." I noticed what he was bringing to my attention; the barbed wire that laced the top. The hunter then held out his arms to me, which I hadn't realised until now was scratched and torn. Wordlessly, he pulled up the bottom of what I realised was his torn trouser legs to show me that his legs were in a similar condition. I raised an exasperated eyebrow at the hunter in concern, though he merely shrugged with a wide smirk on his face. "I'm fine." He assured me at my silent question. "How'd _ya _get out?"

"Gap in the fence." I sighed. "I patched it up." I assured quickly, noting Daryl's narrowed gaze. "But that was around the other side, near the second guard tower." I pointed in the vague direction. "There's too many walkers grouped around that area now though, would be more hassle than it's worth." Daryl nodded and we lapsed back into a mused silence.

"We can't go 'round it." Daryl muttered with a smirk. "We can't go over it. So I guess we gotta go _through _it." I met the man's gaze with a hesitant smile. Suddenly though, something caught Daryl's eye. "Hold up." I followed his gaze towards the third guard tower and noticed movement on the top ledge. Instantly, Daryl began to wave his arms, holding his crossbow above his head. I copied the man's actions when I realised that it was a figure in the tower, who was apparantly looking in our direction. I realised after a moment that it was Andrea - her blonde hair a give away - and she returned our efforts with one brief wave back before disappearing from sight. "C'mon, we gotta be quick."

Without much of an elaboration, Daryl grabbed my arm and tugged me forward. After a few steps, he dropped his hand and proceeded to load up his crossbow. I quickly followed by example and took the safety off his gun, gathering my knife in hand at the ready.

We raced towards the main gates that had long been unhinged and Daryl was the first to take down a walker that got too close. We attempted to weave through the herd and dodge the clawing hands, as to not use too much of our well needed ammo and bolts. With Daryl's guidance, we made it across the compound and I only found the need to use my gun once in a moment of rash panic. I had taken down another three with my knife though I didn't keep count on how many _Daryl_ had killed - too many to keep track of.

I felt an over-whelming surge of relief when I saw Andrea and Michonne work frantically at the gate to let us in, Rick and Merle were running across the yard towards us. Daryl and I kept our backs to the yard, our eyes focused on the approaching walkers. When Andrea hissed at us to get in, I felt Daryl grip my arm hard and drag me inside quickly. The two women quickly got to work securing it as walkers clawed at the mesh in vain.

Exhausted, I quickly scanned myself for any scars or bites - _just in case. _Feeling mildly more relaxed when my scan proved negative, I turned to Daryl who was eyeing me cautiously. He nodded once at my silent question and I finally let out a sigh of relief, glad that we had both pulled through the brief panic in one piece.

"'Nd where the hell 'ave you two been?" Merle demanded, eyeing us both with a mild glare, folding his arms across his chest.

The other three stared on, enforcing his question. Hesitantly, I met Daryl's gaze. The idea of telling them where we'd been, _what I meant to do, _suddenly terrified me and I felt overwhelmingly ashamed of myself and my actions. A sickness oozed in the pit of my stomach and I couldn't bring myself to meet their gazes, let alone answer Merle's question. Just the day before I had said goodbye to this place, this group. I was willing to die for them, to never see them again and yet here I was again standing in the grounds of the prison with the same people I was going to give myself up for. Telling them my plans made a horrible feeling dwell inside me and I stuttered over the words that attempted to form in my head. Apparently seeing my terror, Daryl spoke up suddenly.

"Scoutin'" He muttered, shrugging and throwing his crossbow over his shoulders.

I glanced at the hunter, thankfully, though he was staring evenly between his brother and Rick to notice. Andrea seemed convinced by this lie and her glare softened. Merle seemed a little more hesitant, though after eyeing at his brother for a while - apparently the pair were having a silent conversation with their eyes - he nodded once in acceptance. Michonne didn't rise to Daryl's lie and when I met her gaze, her eyes devoured mine as she seemed to attempt to delve the truth from me. I tried to stare back with equal carelessness that Daryl portrayed, though Michonne didn't question Daryl's reply any further. Rick glanced between the pair of us, his expression similar to Michonne's.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were going scouting?" He asked, carefully. "We didn't know where you'd gone." Rick's question made Daryl pause for just a moment, but the hunter shrugged with indifference. Apparently Daryl didn't find an answer for that one and the terror began to build as Rick's face fell, unconvinced.

"They mentioned it to me." Michonne suddenly supplied.

Daryl turned to woman in shock, but didn't argue against her. I noticed the subtle nod that Michonne sent him before she turned fully to Rick. "Daryl mentioned it to me yesterday, it must have just slipped my mind." Rick studied the woman for a while and looked only slightly convinced by this extension of Daryl's lie. The look in Michonne's eyes as she stared back at him though seemed to render Rick incapable of arguing further and the leader nodded slowly.

"Well that's enough excitement for one day." The blonde muttered, breaking the brief silence. "I'll head back up the tower then, continue my watch." Andrea offered. Rick nodded vaguely.

"I'll join you up there. Seems silly that you're doing it alone." Michonne added, surprising the blonde for a moment. After a shocked pause, Andrea nodded and the pair left, heading back to the guard tower. Merle made to lead the way back inside though Rick quickly stopped me from following.

"Can I speak to you alone for a moment, Ruby?"

His question made me pause and I noticed Daryl studying his leader with suspicion, the hunter apparently uncomfortable with the leader's request. At first, I felt the terror overwhelm me again but remembered that this was _Rick_ and I nodded wordlessly. The hunter beside me hesitated and I tried to assure him with a warm smile, one that I knew didn't convince Daryl in the slightest. He nodded once in return them before ruefully following after his brother, back inside the prison. I watched their retreating figures leave, Daryl glancing back a few times, before turning to Rick, almost terrified to meet his gaze all of a sudden.

However, when I did, I saw only regret and guilt in his eyes as he stared on. Instantly I softened to Rick again and swallowed hard, waiting for his next words and wondering why he had asked me to wait.

"I'm sorry." He breathed when the Dixon brothers had shut the door leading into the prison, leaving Rick and I truly alone in the yard. "Ruby, you've gotta understand that I would _never _consider handing you over-"

"I know." I nodded, smiling weakly at the leader. He sent me a small smile before sighing deeply.

"I only kept it from you because I didn't want to cause any arguments or complications." Rick offered. I suppressed a snort. _If only he knew. _

"Rick, I understand that you're sorry and it's fine. _Really. _I was never mad at you and I understand why you kept it from the group." I shook my head once "I'd just like to forget about all that now though, if that's alright?" Rick nodded instantly.

"Of course." He grinned. I smiled back, gathering my strength again and trying to push the memories away again.

"So, what's the next move?" I asked, raising my head and folding my arms across my chest. "As you haven't handed me over, I'm guessing that means that we really do have a war on our hands now." Rick nodded slowly, though didn't look phased.

"We've been at war for a long time now." He replied before sighing and lowering his voice, as if afraid anyone would hear. "I think some want to leave." I raised an eyebrow and Rick continued. "Andrea has always said she wants and Herschel-" Our leader trailed off.

"Has he said something?" I asked, frowning.

"Not exactly." Rick said. "But whenever I go to him for advise, the only thing he seems to give me now is 'consider other options'." I nodded slowly, eyeing the leader's conflicted expression.

"And what do _you _think we should do now, Rick?" I tried, quietly. Rick raised his gaze and frowned slightly.

"We're not strong enough." He replied after a short moment of hesitation. There was something new in Rick's eyes, one I had never seen before. _Defeat. _This strickened me. _Was he was giving up? _"When the Governor comes back, he'll bring more than last time. We barely made it out before, another outright bullet battle like last time will just finish us off." A pause and a sigh. "But Lori isn't strong enough to move alone yet. Moving her will be dangerous, especially if we're out on the road again. _And Judith._" He ran a shaking hand over his wary face. "I'm not an _idiot. _Having a baby out on the road will just kill _all _of us. I-" He trailed off and frowned, staring off onto a spot above my shoulder. "I just don't know what to do _anymore, _Ruby_._"

The last part of his confession sent a wave of grief through me. The defeated figure of the man before me - the man who was supposed to be our _leader _- confused me. _This _was the man who had kept us alive for nearly a year now, _this _was the man who had done everything in his power to make this prison safe for us to live in. _This _was the man who had came back for me in Woodbury, _this _was the man who wouldn't hand me over the Governor, even with the _chance_ that it would stop this hostility between both groups. _This _was Rick Grimes and he was _giving up. _

"I've made so many bad calls in the past," Rick continued, swallowing hard in his pause. "Calls that have gotten people _killed. _I'm not sure if I can make _this _one, Ruby. People are expecting me to keep them alive-"

"No, they're not, Rick." I urged softly, cutting the man off. His eyes met mine instantly. I shook my head slowly. "We don't expect that from you. Being the leader isn't easy, Rick, and we all know that. You've always done what you thought was right for the group and we've followed you through it all. The calls you've made in the past are in the _past _now. People die, Rick, that's _always_ been a part of life."

"Dale, Beth, Carol, T-Dog-"

"They didn't die because of _you._" _Or me,_ I urged myself. I paused and sighed. "This decision isn't an easy one. And we're not expecting you to do this alone, we'll support you. And I know that, personally, I'd follow whatever decision you ultimately make. Or any decision for that matter. Because I _believe _in you Rick. _I trust you._"

Rick's face lit up with a warming smile and the man reached forward to pull me into a tight embrace. Stunned for a moment, my response was delayed, though I returned the hug and noted that the leader's demeanour was relaxing more by the second. When Rick pulled away, he nodded once and quirked his lips up in another smile; _thank you. _I shrugged in reply and grinned as the defeated expression faded.

"Alright then." He nodded slowly. "What do _you _think we should do then? What is your opinion?" I took a moment before replying.

"I think we should stay and fight." I responded with a sigh. When Rick raised an eyebrow, I elaborated. "I've said all along that no matter where we run, the Governor will _always _follow. We need to make a stand, once and for all. Why risk the road when we have this place - which we've fought for, for so long. We can't just give up and run now, Rick." He thought my reply over before nodding.

"We lost Axel and Toby last time." He pointed out, evenly.

"He took us by _surprise _though." I quickly added. At this, Rick raised an eyebrow in question. "Sure, we had attempted to prepare for an attack, but we didn't really know what we were up against. Now we do and we can use that to our advantage." There was an odd twinkle in Rick's eyes and the man tilted his head with interest.

"Go on." He muttered.

"We _can__'__t_ forget the tactics that Merle helped us with - our positions, our strategies. We've got the armoury, not to mention all that riot gear that we've never really taken a look at. _And _we have the advantage of knowing _this _place better than he does."

Rick's expression lit up dramatically and all of a sudden, a large grin appeared on his face. I was startled back by this sudden elated happiness, though couldn't ask Rick on it as the man turned quickly towards the prison.

"C'mon, I need to talk to the others." He urged, already jogging across the yard. I paused, confused by these mood swings of Rick's, before quickly following after him.

…

I hesitantly approached my cell, terrified as to what I might find in there. Just that day before I had said my goodbyes to this place and all but prepared to hand myself over willingly. _A foolish idea. _My 'last' conversation with Sophia had been one that I was most cautious of facing again and when Rick had informed me that the little girl had not left our cell all morning, my heart had dropped.

_I had done that to her. _

When Rick and I had entered the cell block before, the group greeted me with no concern - they hadn't know that Daryl and I had truly been missing, apparently. Rick seemingly not wanting to scare anyone had only confided in Merle, Michonne and Andrea - _an odd choice of trio_. I attempted careless responses in return, though I struggled to keep my smile going at first. Almost immediately though, Daryl had bounded towards and when Rick had left to 'round everyone up', Daryl had assured me that everything would be fine.

Like I always did, _I believed him. _

"Ya want me to come with ya?" Daryl had asked when I told him I was going to go see Sophia. I shook my head with a grateful smile.

"I'll be fine." I told him, making to go. Before I did, I paused and quickly swept the cell block with my gaze before reaching up on my tip-toes and planting a lingering kiss on the hunter's stubbled cheek. His face instantly reddened upon contact and I smiled warmly when his head turned to me in confusion. "Thank you for coming to get me."

Immediately Daryl shrugged, an attempt of indifference though his expression gave him away. Over his shoulder, I saw that the older Dixon brother had witnessed the whole thing - _figures - _and rolled my eyes when the man suddenly began to make his way over to us.

"I'll leave you to deal with Merle." I muttered before escaping quickly without allowing Daryl to argue. I heard Merle's echoing sniggers as I made my way up onto the higher platform and had kept a lingering smile on my face until I neared my cell.

I paused before going inside and approached the doorway with equal caution. Inside, I found a tiny frame curled up on the bottom bunk, a heart-wrenching sight, and tiny hands ringing Eliza the rag doll furiously. I smiled faintly and gently knocked against the wall beside the door. At the sound, Sophia looked up.

"Knock knock." I murmured, meeting her gaze with a smile, her eyes were wide with shock.

Almost immediately, I was barrelled into a bear hug around the middle and I couldn't help but laugh heartedly, battling the tears down.

"Where did you go?" Sophia cried into my shirt. "I thought you had left me. You _promised_ you wouldn't leave me." I stroked her hair softly, placing a kiss on top of her head.

"I just went out for a little while, sweetheart." I murmured gently. "I will _never _leave you, Sophia." _Never again. _

Sophia spoke no more words and I led the girl back to the bottom bunk and sat down, allowing her to curl up against me, Eliza discarded on the bed beside her. We remained silent and only Sophia's gentle shudders of breath as she sobbed into my shirt was heard.

Those sounds only confirmed my promise more.

_I would never leave her again. _

…

Rick gathered everyone in the man communal area - with the exception of Michonne and Andrea, though the pair were connected through radio. Even Lori had left the confinements of the security room and was perched on the platform above with Herschel and the children supporting her. She had smiled encouragingly when her husband met her gaze and this seemed to fuel our leader's sudden inspiration even more so.

Briefly, he ran through the usual basics and informed the group that another meeting had been set up today - one that we had missed. Daryl met my gaze at this and I grimaced at my earlier actions, glad that the group was no wiser. After a long, hesitant pause, Rick took a deep breath and continued.

"This isn't the time to run." He announced, eyeing everyone carefully. "We've fought long and hard for this place, too much blood has been split. We _can__'__t _forget that." Rick paused to eye me carefully, I nodded once as my own attempt of encouragement. "And we also can't forget the fact that running will not get rid of the threat. He will come _back _again. _And again and again. _Though who knows how long we'll last out on the road. It's not the same as last time." The soft murmur from Judith, who was curled in Maggie's arms, seemed to enforce this idea. Rick ran a loving gaze over his daughter before sighing. "That is my _opinion_, but the ultimate decision needs to be made as a _group. _I won't dictate this choice to you all. Not with so much to lose." His eyes scanned the listening faces, who took in his words thoughtfully. The silence drew on in the cell block for a long moment, everyone seemingly afraid of following on from Rick's words.

"If we fight him," Glenn began slowly. "What chance do we have of winning?" It was a genuine question that he posed on Rick and, judging by his darting gaze between the two, Merle. The older Dixon merely raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't fair so well last time." Maggie added, softly. Rick glanced at me briefly again before answering.

"They were at the advantage last time." He replied. "They took us by surprise." Maggie raised a careful eyebrow and Rick continued, eyeing the group again. "Last time, it was an all out _battle_. In that environment, Woodbury have the advantage as they have the numbers and the fire power. Plus they had the element of surprise. Now though," A pause. "Now, we have to use _our _advantage against them."

"And what is our advantage?" Sasha asked, quietly. Rick didn't respond verbally and merely raised his arms and swooped them in a wide gesture. I smiled vaguely at the confused faces as I caught onto Rick's meaning.

"The prison." I offered as a verbal reply. The group was silent for a moment as it mulled over this idea.

"_How_ do we use it?" Tyreese asked, curious. An animated grin appeared on Rick's face.

"The Governor has brainwashed his people into believing that we are 'terrorists', that we pose a threat to them and all in Woodbury. They _fear _us." He paused and smiled again. "So, how about we rise to their expectations?"

Now caught up with why Rick suddenly appeared animated, I was stunned by his words, as were many others. The group lapsed into silence again, though was immediately broken by the sound of a slow, dark chuckle from the older Dixon brother. Rick met his gaze and Merle smirked back, easily. I was surprised as instead of a scowl on Rick's face in return, our leader raised an eyebrow to the Dixon, as if encouraging him to speak up.

"We could lure them inside the prison." The older Dixon began. "They may be equipped out in the open, but it'll be another story in 'ere." Rick nodded, seemingly happy that Merle had caught on.

"We could turn off the power." Glenn voice piped up, surprisingly. Rick turned to the boy and appeared glad that more were catching on. "With the lights off it'll be easy for them to get lost."

"We could set off the alarms to panic 'em." Daryl muttered, earning an approving pat on his back from his brother.

"The tombs are full of walkers." Maggie adds. "It'll be pretty easy for them to leave the safe zone, if they don't know their way around this place."

Eyeing the group, I saw a sense of hope in their eyes. _Hope that we might actually win this. _A hope that had been lost long ago, when this war with Woodbury had begun. The group had lost belief that we would win this and it was always evident in their eyes. Now though, with this new turn of planning, the hope began to grow back behind their gazes. It was a reassuring sight.

The discussion continued and more idea were thrown about. Rick's eyes darted delightfully amongst everyone, seemingly glad that people were starting to believe again. I met his gaze with a smile and certainly noted the contrast between the man before me now, compared to the man that stood defeated in the prison yard earlier. Rick grinned in return.

"We make this place seem deserted and cut the power out before they arrive inside." Rick nodded slowly.

"Would they not think we've just left?" Lori asked from above. Merle shook his head in answer to her question.

"He ain't gonna be lured by that option, 'specially when none of his men will 'ave seen us leave this place." He replied. "Even if he did, he'd still check this place out."

"They'll no doubt tear down the gates into the yard." Daryl noted, folding his arms and leaning back against the wall beside his brother. "They'll enter the prison through Cell Block C first."

"They'll search the prison for us." Maggie said. "It's much easier to find the tombs than it is to find this cell block, though. Walkers would pick a few off, but not all of them. You said it yourself that they've got the advantage in fire power, dispatching walkers will be easy for them."

"'Nd that's preciously when we make our move." Merle mused, thoughtfully, raising his gaze to the security room. "We could throw a couple of smoke grenades in, terrify the shit outta 'em. Set the alarms off then 'nd they'll no doubt scarper with their tails between their legs, regardless of the Gov's orders."

"You sure about that?" Sasha asked, cautiously. Merle smirked.

"They ain't military soldiers. Just 'cos the Gov gives 'em a gun, don't make 'em trained."

"Who are their best fighters?" Rick urged, eyeing the man. Merle thought a moment.

"Martinez probably. Or Shumpert or Crowley." He shrugged indifferently. "'Gain though, they ain't army trained." Merle paused though with a frown. "In all honesty, Officer, the Governor is probably the best in Woodbury, but don't look over that fact. That is certainly something we shouldn't be forgettin'." Rick nodded slowly in acknowledgment, his face thoughtful for a moment.

"Rick, I think I should bring another matter into your attention." Herschel called from above. Immediately, the attention was turned to the old farmer. "You have a wife that cannot be moved without assistance and a baby that you need to consider." Rick turned to his wife, who smiled weakly in return, before he nodded forcefully.

"Then we'll take them somewhere safe, Carl and Sophia too." The latter pair seemed like they wanted to argue, Carl especially though Daryl quickly cut in.

"What 'bout the armoury?" He suggested. "It's secure enough, can only be accessed with those tags that ya got, Rick." From above, Herschel straightened out.

"I can move all my medical supplies in there, as well as a suitable place for Lori to rest." He nodded, seemingly happy with this decision. "We could use a few mattresses from some of the cell bunks."

"We could move a lot of the food in there too." Tyreese added. Rick nods in agreement.

"We do that _now _then just incase-"

"Dad, Sophia and I want to help." Carl suddenly piped up. Rick sighed tiredly. "We know how to use guns, we can help you defend this place." Rick shook his head softly.

"I need you to stay with Herschel and help him look after Judith and Mom." He urged his son, though Carl's frown only deepened. From beside him, Lori's face seemed conflicted as she glanced between her son next to her and to where her daughter was sleeping below in Maggie's arms.

"But Dad-!"

"Rick, I don't think I'm comfortable with that." Lori suddenly cut in, turning to her husband. Rick frowned in confusion. "_If _this plan fails then I don't want the children to be in here, stuck with no way of escaping or at the hands of _him_." Rick shook his head once and seemed to want to respond though Lori quickly cut him off. "_I _can't be taken to safety and we've got to just come to terms with that. For me, the armoury is the best option. But it's not the same for the children." A brief moment of silence fell over the group, though it was soon broken by the older man beside Lori.

"We could just move the children _out _of the prison altogether." Herschel suggested. "It doesn't have to be too far away, but far enough so they can run if necessary." Lori and Rick communicated silently for a moment before Rick nodded slowly with a sigh.

"We'll discuss that later." He muttered, apparently unhappy with this decision. "Herschel, during all this, I want you to remain in the armoury with Lori. So she's not alone. If that's alright?" Lori smiled softly at her husband and Herschel nodded.

"I will take care of her, Rick."

As Tyreese and Sasha went to inform Andrea and Michonne of the group's discussion, Herschel's medical supplies were quickly moved into the armoury and Maggie quickly retrieved a few mattresses from some bunks to supply as a makeshift bed for Lori inside. The woman was moved inside instantly and settled to rest as the exertion of leaving the security had worn her out for the day.

As Glenn, Maggie and the children helped move everything, the Dixon brothers and myself remained down below with Rick as the men attempted to plan out where to place everyone in the prison. I watched on, wondering why I hadn't been sent away to help above. The trio were discussing everyone's positions during this next move, raising everyone's strengths to the table. I opened my mouth to offer my presence elsewhere though Herschel approaching paused my thoughts.

"Rick," The man began slowly, getting the leader's attention. The trio of men turned to him at his call. "I'll interrupt your plannings only briefly and I'll go back to Lori." Rick nodded slowly, staring curiously at the man who was his guidance in everything. Herschel paused before exhaling deeply. "You do know that even if we succeed in scaring off the Woodbury group this time, it will _not _scare them off the fight?" Rick nodded numbly after a moment's hesitation.

"I know." He muttered with a sigh. "But it's the best I've got right now. Like I said, we haven't got the numbers or the fire power to defend this prison properly. We'll just have to figure out the next step when we get to it." Herschel studied the leader thoughtfully for a moment, glancing over his shoulder briefly up at the security room before sighing tiredly, his age suddenly showing prominantly.

"At the moment, we can live with scaring these people." The old man nodded. "But when the times comes and Lori is healthy enough to be moved, you have to consider the _other _option, Rick." Without anything else left to say, Herschel turned and left us to head back to those above.

As Herschel retreated, I eyed the leader carefully and urged for the look of defeat not to rise again. Instead though, Rick remained thoughtful and stared after the old farmer as he made his way back up to the security room. I glanced around and met Daryl's gaze with raised an eyebrow. Daryl shrugged once and beside him, Merle scoffed.

"Ain't he just one big ball of optimism."

As if broken by this spell, Rick turned away from the retreating farmer and turned back to the task a hand, a determind expression now on his face.

_The planning continued._

* * *

_(Author's Note): Gosh, it's me again! Did you all forget about me? Gah, I do have a reason this time though - my laptop has been on the mend for a month and I only just recently got it back. Plus I did take some time to attempt to gather some ideas for this story and I've planned further ahead. This latest update isn't my best, I know that, but I just wanted to get something out after making you guys wait for so long. Plus, it's more of a neccessary filler as I felt the next chapter needed to be cut away from this one. It's super short, especially compared to the previous ones, but I'll make up for that in the future, I promise! _

_Is the planning starting to look familar? Hopefully it is! :) A quick note - Shumpert and Crowley are actually members from Woodbury. Shumpert is the man who drove away with the Governor and Martinez at the series final and Crowley was killed by Merle when the Governor sent them to go after Michonne. Obviously though, that didn't happen so Crowley is spared. Just a random note, I thought I'd add! :) _

_Also, I just thought I'd highlight a few changes in my story compared to the series, changes that I'm surprised no one has called me on yet. One - Herschel still has two legs. Two - The Governor has both eyes and isn't supporting an eyepatch. It seems I'm being TOO nice to the characters in my story. Not to mention that Lori is still in the land of the living. I really am being nice! :) There is some ideas to come though, be warned... What do you guys think of these changes so far? _

_A huge thanks to _WinchesterSalvatoreLover _who created another couple of banners for this story! Thanks to all who have made fanwork for _Loginquitas, _you'll find all the links on my profile and I urge you all to take a look! :) _

_Really big apologises for the long wait and thank you to all those who are sticking with this story - I know that I can be a pain! But I will never give up! I assure you :) Thank you for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. Please tell me what you think of this latest update. I should have an update up soon, though don't quote me on that! :) _


	47. Chapter Forty Six

_Chapter Forty Six_

This was it, this is what it had come down to.

A bitterly terrified atmosphere loomed around the apparent empty prison. _Unease, fear. _Goodbyes had been said, tears had been shed. The group had parted off for what could potentially be the last time altogether. _All alive. _Now we were waiting, just waiting. Waiting for _him _to come, to stir up our lives again like he had been doing for so long. We had prepared all we could and if that wasn't enough then we would pay with our lives. The stakes were high, the tension was high, _the fear was off the scale. _

It felt like _judgement day. _

"It's odd isn't it, how we're supposed to be the safe ones and yet we're _outside _the prison." Michonne muttered, leaning against a tree nearby, her eyes scanning the area vigilantly. "Doesn't feel right, does it?"

Michonne and I had been designated to looking after Carl, Sophia and Judith. We had taken the green Hyundai which had now been fashioned with also a ghillie-suit effect to camouflage it - curtsy of Merle. The three children were all currently locked inside the vehicle, waiting impatiently for something to happen. It was surprising when Rick gave the orders for the pair of us to take full responsibility of the children, though he seemed at ease to know that we were and I took hold of that. I promised him I'd take care of them and guard them with my life. Michonne did also and the leader appeared satisfied with this promise.

We were the lookouts too, ready with a radio in hand to warn those inside of the Governor's approach. Rick, Glenn and Andrea all had radios too, all readily connected for the plan to be put into action. Glancing at my companion, I noted her katana ready in hand and her eyes wandering to the Hyundai we stood beside back to the prison and back again. _Ever vigilant. _

Our input into this plan also extended to ransacking the vehicles when the Governor and his group were inside the prison. It was put forward by Merle and then supported by others, though Lori mainly didn't like it. It was suggested for Michonne and I to wait with the children and notify the group when the attack approached, then when inside we were to move to the Governor's vehicles and take all we could get and attempt to immobilise them if we could - thus apparently preventing the easiness of another attack when they left.

A problem to this plan was that it would mean leaving the children _unattended. _It was argued back and forth for a long period, until Carl insisted that he would take care of the girls when Michonne and myself weren't with them. Rick, apparently seeing the need for his son to prove himself, supported the idea and granted this input of the plan. Lori, of course was beyond fuming, stating many times that Carl didn't need to 'prove himself' in that way. Of course, the boy didn't heed to her fussing and though I knew the mother was far from happy with the set up, she tried in vain to stop it. Her parting with her children was an emotional one and judging by her stare, if anything happened to either of them, _she fully blamed Rick for it. _

Of course, currently the wounded mother was locked safely away in the armoury with Herschel taking care of her, the room packed with plenty of food, water and medical supplies. The power was still on, though as soon as Michonne and I gave the warning, I knew that Andrea and Sasha would be waiting in the control room ready to cut it off. The pair were on hand ready to set the alarms off too when Rick ordered and had the escape route into the prison's garage - which had been made full use of - incase of an emergency. Glenn and Maggie were on hand, ready to launch a counter attack when the Governor's group came out, hopefully, screaming in a last attempt to strike fear into them. Thus leaving the main attack in the hands of Rick, Daryl, Merle and Tyreese who were all waiting in the corridors of the prison with smoke grenades, tear gas and ready to set walkers loose on the unsuspecting Woodbury residents.

"_Still no sign?__" _Rick asked over the radio, the sound of his voice making me jump. Michonne sniggered at my fright and I sent her a half-hearted glare.

"Nope, nothing." I replied back. "The kids are fine too before you ask." I added quickly before the edgy father could ask.

"_Thank you, Ruby. Keep us posted.__" _The radio cut off and we were back to silence again.

I glanced back to the Hyundai, waving at Sophia and Carl through the windscreen when I caught their gaze. They appeared to be playing with some cards - Sophia had told me that they were a gift from T-Dog a long time ago - and seemed content enough at the moment, judging by the smiles I received from them. _At least they weren__'__t complaining again. _

"So," Michonne suddenly began. I turned to the woman expectantly, though her eyes were still scanning the area around us. "Are we going to bring up the other day?" At her ambiguous question, I snorted.

"Are _you_ ever going to elaborate?" I countered, raising the scope of my sniper to my eye so I could scan the prison, looking to see if either Glenn and Maggie were visible. They had apparently mastered hiding as I couldn't make them out.

"When you left." Her statement made me start and I slowly lowered the rifle before glancing briefly at the woman with an attempt of carelessness. Immediately, I felt my body tense.

Since that 'incident', Daryl hadn't brought it up and neither had Michonne - I gathered the woman would hound me immediately and I had forgotten about it after she hadn't. Apparently she was biding her time, finding the right moment. Rick and Merle both seemed too caught up with planning to really think too hard about it, because I knew if they did, they would see the flaws in Daryl and Michonne's excuses. Sophia hadn't brought anything up, though judging by her clinginess afterwards, the girl was still sore about being left. This only disheartened me further and guilt overwhelmed me for my actions.

Michonne's eyes were now studying me hard and I couldn't hold her gaze long enough as she delved my expression, taking in my sudden tense stature no doubt and gathering her own conclusions from it.

"You went to hand yourself in." It wasn't a question, though I nodded regardless, unable to find my voice to confirm verbally. Michonne nodded slowly and her following reply startled me. "That doesn't surprise me." At this, I raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't?" I asked with a frown. Michonne shrugged, smiling slightly.

"You're smart, Ruby, real smart." She began. "You wouldn't have gotten so far on your own otherwise. Though I think after your isolation, after being introduced to this group, you let your heart get caught up with these people. After being on your own in a world like this, I'm not surprised either." After a pause, she shrugged again. "You care about this group, _love them even. _I'm not surprised that you'd be willing to die for them, no matter how careless a thing it was to do." I breathed a chuckle.

"It _was _careless." I muttered in agreement under my breath.

"You sometimes allow your heart to get ahead of your brain, Ruby." Michonne continued. "That happened a lot back in the Governor's camp when we first met. You remember?" I nodded, unconsciously rubbing my nose at that - _where it had been broken after I __'__let my heart get ahead of my brain__'__. _"No harm done though." She smiled. "You're still here and I guess we have to thank Daryl for that." At the mention of the hunter, I felt myself blush and I avoided the knowing stare Michonne was sending me.

Since _that _moment between us both, there hadn't been any repeats. Though I wasn't downhearted by this, we did have _other _priorities after all. The entire group had been so caught up with the plan for attack and defence that there wasn't much time for anything else to be considered. Glances were still shared across the planning sessions or at dinner time, sometimes I'd seek the hunter's gaze to find him already openly looking at me, causing me to blush and Daryl to smirk. We still shared some of the watches together - though Sophia had taken to accompanying us now, so most of the time was spent teasing and amusing the girl till she inevitably fell asleep, using our jackets as a makeshift bed. When we parted after our first watch after the 'incident', I had reached for Daryl's hand while Sophia had bounced off to our shared cell and had kissed it tenderly before following after the little girl. After that, it almost became a routine; I would kiss Daryl's hand, receiving myself a small attempt of a smile, before we would part from each other. _A constant reminder of our affection perhaps? _

Thankfully for me, Merle hadn't been able to hound me over my feelings for his brother and I had avoided all possibilities of being alone with the man. The same couldn't be said for Daryl and many times had he greeted me for watch which red cheeks and a frustrated look on his face. When asked what was the matter, Daryl would only reply with 'Merle' and said nothing more. Whether it was due to Sophia's presence or his unwillingness to tell me, I didn't know. Though whenever I would glance to where Merle stood nearby, I'd receive myself a mischievous wink from the man and even once a pout, followed by kissing noises, not unlike those I had received from Sophia in her teasing.

Taking in the smirk that fell on Michonne's face, I knew that Merle must have said something to her. _Of course. _She was unable to say anything more though as suddenly the sounds of approaching vehicles, distant but drawing closer, were heard. Immediately the mood was altered between us and Michonne's smirk dropped as she pushed herself away from the tree to observe the road that led off from the main gates of the prison - where it was coming from.

"Tell Rick." Michonne breathed and I obliged immediately.

"Rick, we hear vehicles approaching." I quickly informed the man.

"_Everyone prepare yourselves, get into positions.__" _The man hissed over the radio, his tone stern_, _though wavering with fear perhaps? _"__Have you a sighting of them yet, Ruby?__"_

"Not yet." I replied. Michonne crouched suddenly, shying into the cover of the high grass and I immediately followed her lead, kneeling beside her. "Hold up-"

Sure enough, a convoy of vehicles came into sight. A jeep led the way, with what seemed like a mounted gunning point in the back. Following it was a large, open-trailer truck that appeared to be full of people - _great. _And bringing up the rear was the same vehicle that Milton and Martinez came in, the day of the meeting.

"It's him." I finished, my voice trembling, before quickly providing a brief description of the approaching convoy. Michonne quickly rushed back to the Hyundai, informing the children and telling them to lock the doors and stay put. They obliged and Michonne quickly joined me in the long grass again.

The convoy neared the unhinged main gates, the gunner on the jeep quickly taking initiative and taking out walkers that mulled around the prison. This was to be expected and Rick didn't voice his concern over the sudden firing of bullets. Suddenly though, the gunning stopped and another figure rose to stand in the back of the jeep, raising a large weapon up and aiming it towards the first guard tower. Before I could question Michonne as to what they were doing, the person fired their weapon.

An explosion echoed out across the area and the top of guard tower shattered into an array of bricks and glass, fire spitting out into the air. Both Michonne and I jumped at the resounding bang, eyes both wide with shock.

"_What the hell was that?__" _Andrea shrieked over the radio. I found myself unable to answer as we watched as the second guard tower was aimed at and another explosion sounded out; bricks, glass and fire shattered everywhere again.

"_Ruby?!__" _Rick hissed, enforcing Andrea's question.

"They've blown up the first and second guard towers, I'm not sure what with." I stuttered in response, my hands suddenly shaking. Confidence and hope of winning this fight was very quickly fading. The gunning started again as they dispatched _all_ the walkers inside the grass compound. From the outside, it seemed to resemble a complete massacre, regardless of _what _they were killing. The sight was unnerving.

"We could do with one of those." Michonne muttered with distaste. I couldn't bring myself to agree.

"They're approaching the yard gates." I commented over the radio, making the others aware of the action outside.

Sure enough, they wasted little time in stopping to open our secured gates. Instead, the jeep only accelerated as they approached and ploughed through them with complete ease. They were unhinged like the main gates before them and swung apart for the convoy to move into the yard, where they all pulled themselves to a halt. Raising my rifle scope to my eyes, I observed their movements at a better distance.

The back of the truck was opened and a large amount of people all piled out - armed and ready. I noted the form of Martinez jump down from the jeep, discarding the weapon that he had used to blow up the towers and taking up a light looking machine gun. When the drivers seat of the last car opened, I found myself seething at the sight of the Governor exited the vehicle. Unconsciously, I found myself cocking back the rifle, ready to take a shot at him. Michonne's hand on the rifle, pushing it down, stopped me though.

"If you miss, then you'll ruin the whole plan_._" She hissed, eyeing me carefully. I nodded, seeing her logic. Satisfied, she turned back to the sight before us. "They're moving in." She noted. I quickly raised the radio to my lips.

"They're heading inside, Michonne and I are going to move in. Prepare yourselves." I muttered, getting to my feet and turning to the Hyundai, throwing the radio to Michonne to look after.

I opened the Hyundai door and eyed those inside. Carl was sat in the front passenger seat, Sophia in the back beside a sleeping Judith. They both eyed me with wide expressions and I quickly delved into the back for the bag that had been packed full of food, water and weapons incase of emergency. I handed it to Carl.

"You stay in the car." I began, sternly. "And I do mean it." I raised my gaze to Carl, eyeing the boy firmly. "This isn't the time to act stupidly, if you guys decide to wander off then you could ruin all that we've planned. This is going to be hard enough and we need you both to cooperate." At this, Carl nodded slowly and I took in his expression, thankfully that he seemed true. "This bag is full of everything you need, just incase."

"Incase we have to run?" Carl muttered, bitterly. I turned to the boy and nodded slowly.

"And you will run if you need to, you understand that?" I urged. "Your mother wanted you all out here, so you'd be safe. It's your responsibility now, Carl, to take care of Sophia and Judith. You keep them safe from walkers or _anything else. _You can't let anything happen to them, alright?" I took in the way Carl's eyes lit up with this responsibility that I was giving him and observed as he nodded firmly.

"I won't let anything happen to them." He promised me firmly. I nodded, knowing that our time was limited now. Glancing back to where Michonne was waiting, I gave the pair one final smile and kissed Sophia's head.

"Stay safe." I urged one final time before closing the Hyundai door. I heard the sound of the car doors locking and felt minor relief wash over me. Quickly, I joined Michonne and after one final glance at the car, we set out into a sprint towards the prison.

The compound was completely clear from walkers so we hadn't the worry of them. Michonne was slightly faster and led the way towards the main gates, rounding the corner sharply and quickly cutting across the compound, myself at pursuit. Once we reached the yard, we took in the abandoned vehicles briefly before getting to work.

Michonne hauled herself up into the back of the truck, declaring that they had left a lot of spare ammo and weapons. She quickly set to work packing it into the large gym bag we had brought along to carry stuff in. I made my way over to the jeep, jumping into the back and taking in the minimal amount of ammo that was left - _it was something. _Next, I moved onto the mounted gunner and proceeded to take all the ammo out and disarm it. I was unsure if we could actually make use of it, but as long as they didn't have it, then that was good enough. What caught me eye quickly was the weapon that Martinez had left behind and quickly eyed the size of it.

"What the hell is this?" I called, holding up the weapon that had destroyed two of our towers. Michonne jumped down from the truck, heaving the bag over her shoulder before rushing to meet me. I threw my collected ammo into the bag along with the rest, delightfully noting how much Michonne had gathered, before thrusting the large, unknown weapon at her. She grinned.

"Looks like a grenade launcher." She informed me. I raised an eyebrow, unsure how on earth she knew that before allowing her to take it from me. "I'm sure we can find some use for it." I smirked in reply. "Get to work looting the last car and I'll try and immobilise this one."

"What do you plan on doing?" I asked as she turned to the bonnet of the jeep.

"No idea." She muttered in reply before getting to work. I decided to leave her in peace before making my way towards the remaining vehicle.

I urged myself into the drivers side, finding myself less lucky in the search for ammo or weapons. I scanned the glove compartments and all the sides of the doors, though still came across nothing. Apparently the Governor had been more careful in what he had left behind. In an unconscious act, I found myself pulling down the sun visor and a piece of paper suddenly fell down onto the passenger chair. I eyed it carefully before picking it up and feeling my stomach clench at what it was.

_A photograph. _A picture of a happy family of three; man, wife and daughter, all smiling happily and seemingly content. My stomach churned at the identity of the father - _who else but the Governor, himself? _Memories of his zombified daughter flashed into my gaze upon the sight of _living, _smiling Penny. It seemed odd to consider such a domestic setting when I thought of the psychopath in the picture and what he was now. In bitterness, I found myself wanting to tear the photo up, but couldn't bring myself to do so. My hands began to shake as I merely stared at the item in my hand, all thoughts completely gone from mind.

I was interrupted though by the blaring sounds of the alarm going off. I jumped at the noise and wondered why I hadn't heard Rick give the order to Andrea over the radio, only to remember that Michonne had the means of contact with the others. Quickly, I discarded the photo back onto the passenger seat and got out the vehicle. _Leaving the photo intact. _

Making my way over to Michonne, I noticed she had the radio to her ear, listening to whatever was being said. Upon meeting my gaze, she made her way over quickly.

"The plan's working so far." She informed me. "I've only managed to ransack the jeep though." Though the plan to was immobilise all the vehicles so they'd be forced to return to Woodbury on foot - meaning that it would be harder for them to launch another attack at the same proportion - in the moment, it didn't matter and I found myself shrugging.

"Better than none." I replied, noting the filled gym bag and grenade launcher over her shoulder.

"We better make ourselves scarce." Michonne muttered. "Head to one of the guard towers, we can help Glenn and Maggie with the counter attack." She turned to head to the closest one, but I shook my head in panic.

"What about the children?" I demanded, frantically. Michonne glanced to the spot where we'd left them before turning back to me.

"They're smart kids, they'll be fine. We can't reach them in time, we'd be spotted and that would only make things worse." She urged, grabbing my arm and tugging hard. "C'mon."

I saw the sense, but I didn't like it. Staring longingly across the grounds of the prison towards where I knew the Hyundai would be parked, I allowed Michonne to lead us to the guard tower. I closed the door behind us and followed Michonne's lead, rushing up the steps of the tower. Half way up, the sounds of gun shots firing and what distinctively sounded like Glenn bellowing over the noise was heard.

Michonne wasted little time when she reached the top and joined Maggie and Glenn in the open fire on those fleeing from inside the prison. I joined her, though hesitated as I observed the scene. The people were in panic and rushed to the vehicles, some shrieking in fear. For a moment, I felt pity for them as I took in the genuine fear in them - the fear that we had caused. Upon sighting of the Governor though, the anger boiled within me again and I joined this counter attack with equal strength.

Most piled into the large truck, those that got into the jeep realised it was a lost hope when the vehicle didn't start and abandoned it to run on foot. Others chose this option too, not even considering the danger of walkers that they'd be more susceptible now. From our vantage above, I noted the Governor's frustrated expression as he observed his fleeing people. He shrieked some orders in Martinez's direction, who seemed to shy away from his leader's glare before the pair headed towards the remaining vehicle, a dark-skinned man following. In a moment of frustration, I took aim with my rifle and intended to fire a shot in the Governor's direction. At the last second, the dark-skinned man (who Merle identified as Shumpert later on) grabbed hold of the Governor's jacket pulling him back and my bullet imbedded itself into the hood of the car - where his head had just been.

The Governor's eyes turned to the tower and my eyes widened briefly in mild fear as instead of the expected smirk, the Governor set a hard glare in Michonne and my direction. It was infinitely more terrifying than his smirk.

"Now you've done it." Michonne muttered, halting her own shooting. Next thing we knew, bullets rained over the tower and we both hit the floor for cover. "Keep your head down!" Michonne shrieked over the chaos of noise.

The windows over our heads shattered and bullets clipped the railings close to our heads. I silently thanked the Michonne had the grenade launcher and the item wasn't in the Governor's possession as I knew he would be more than happy to turn the weapon on us in that moment.

When the bullets stopped firing, Michonne and I paused before raising our heads. When we did, I watched in a numb triumph as the truck pulled out of the yard and left the prison, the Governor's car hot at its heel. As the convoy drifted away, silence fell over the prison.

"_I think that worked.__"_ Glenn's voice crackled over the radio clipped to Michonne's belt.

_We had done it. _

Instead of wasting time celebrating, I was quickly on my feet and had set my destination to the Hyundai on the outskirts of the prison. Following footsteps alerted me that Michonne was following.

We bypassed the walkers that began to stagger towards the prison, alerted by the show of noises we had just created. Michonne took a few out easily with her katana, though we spoke no words or slowed our speed. Not until we knew the kids were safe. Everything in the attack may have gone to plan, but it wasn't over just yet. Skirting into the woods, I eyed the Hyundai and slowed my pace as we approached, thankful the vehicle remained intact. Though something on the ground suddenly caught my eye and my eyes widened in horror.

_A body. _Face first on the ground. It was unmoving. _No-_

"Oh no!" I hissed, rushing forward. Michonne got to the body first and I held my breath as she kneeled beside it and turned the body gently over. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it wasn't either Carl or Sophia. But another thought occurred to me then. _Who was it then? _

"He attacked us." A resounding voice spoke from behind. We both spun around and spotted Carl leaning against a tree, his eyes on the body, his gun in hand. I felt sick to the core when I added up the dots. _Carl had killed him. _Taking in the boy's attire and lack of rotting flesh, I knew he wasn't a walker either. Perhaps one of the Woodbury residents? _Carl had killed a living human being. _

"What happened?" Michonne asked slowly, her voice dangerously quiet as she rose to her feet. Carl moved his gaze to her and then glanced between the pair of us.

"I was protecting Sophia and Judith." Carl urged, eyeing me pointedly. "He came across us. Sophia told him to lower his gun but he was going to shoot us. _I did what I had to do_." His tone terrified me and I found myself unable to say anything in response. _Carl had killed someone. _

"Get in the car." Michonne muttered. "We better head back." Carl pushed himself away from the tree and obliged to her command, getting back into the Hyundai. I met Michonne's gaze and found that we were both thinking the same thing. _This wasn__'__t right. _

Wordlessly, Michonne raised her katana and effortlessly sliced it through the boy's - who didn't seem to be that much older than Carl and Sophia - skull. I was going to comment on her cruelty but knew it needed to be done. We didn't need him coming back as a walker. Michonne climbed into the drivers seat without another word and I in turn got into the passengers seat. As Michonne drove us back to the prison, I glanced back at Sophia to find the girl curled as far away from Carl as she could possibly muster, her gaze distant as she stared out the window. Judith slept soundly between them, unaware of all the action that she had missed. Carl, stared down at his gun, Rick's hat obstructing his face from view. Swallowing hard, I turned away from the scene, my mind racing with thoughts.

Once we made it back to the yard, most of the group were outside - save for Herschel and Lori - and had managed to find a replacement for the yard gates. A few walkers had made their way into the grass compound but once we were safe inside the yard, Tyreese, Daryl and Rick were quick on hand to put the replacement gate in place and shut the walkers out.

As soon as Michonne pulled the car to a halt, Carl climbed out the vehicle, making a beeline towards his father. Those that remained in the car were deathly silent for a moment as we watched the reunion through the car windows.

"What happened out there, girl?" Michonne asked, turning in her chair to observe Sophia in the back. The little girl's eyes widened as she met Michonne's gaze before she sought my gaze. Instinctively, I reached my hand towards her and she took it eagerly in both of hers. Her hands shook and her eyes were wide with fear. "You can tell us."

"We had got out the car," Sophia began quietly. "I know we weren't supposed to but Carl said that we weren't going to go anywhere, he just wanted to see what was happening." She swallowed down her tears, seeking my gaze. I nodded reassuringly. "The boy came out nowhere, he was running away from the prison. I told him to drop his gun. He started to lower it but-" She paused and chewed her lip furiously. "Carl killed him." A tear trailed down her cheek. "He told me that the boy wasn't going to surrender, that he was going to kill us." I met Michonne's gaze briefly before attempting to smile at Sophia.

"Carl did what he did to protect you and Judith." I tried to urge, hoping my voice was strong enough. "Don't get yourself caught up with anything else. Just remember that. He did it to _protect you._" Sophia nodded slowly, the thought lingering as she processed it. Carefully, Sophia pulled her hands away from mine and scooped the sleeping Judith up into her arms.

"I'm going to take her to see Lori." She told us, getting out. Michonne and I left the vehicle too. I watched as Sophia cradled Judith close to her and I smiled faintly.

"Ask Sasha to take you back to the cell block. I'll come by later, I promise. I'll just help with some stuff out here." Sophia smiled back and nodded before quickly making her way over towards Sasha. I watched as the pair went inside before sighing and turning to Michonne, who's eyes were fixed on Carl and Rick. "What are you thinking?"

"That this should be kept between us." She muttered. "I don't think he'll be all for telling his parents what happened and I don't think we should be grassing him in either. Rick especially doesn't need to know, he's got too much to worry about." I nodded in agreement, my stomach churning with worry as I joined Michonne in watching the young Grimes' boy from afar. His even tone when he told us what happened terrified me enough and I felt a sickness wash over me.

"We keep quiet then."

After the initial cheer of victory, one that was very short lived, the group got to work on repairing the prison. We may have won this round, but the war wasn't over. _It was one all now. _The Governor would no doubt be seeking a round three and there was no time to celebrate as we now had the task of deciding the plan for that. This plan may have worked though it wouldn't work a second time. Herschel's words sprung to mind - _consider the other option. _Unsure of what the group's next step was, everyone went about repairing without much of a discussion.

Glenn suggested lightly that we could replace the main gates to the prison with one of the prison buses, just to prevent walkers coming in. That way we had access to the grass compound again. While there only seemed to be a few straggling walkers in the compound, Tyreese and Glenn went to retrieve one of the buses and positioned it in front of the space the main gates once were as Michonne, Daryl and Merle made swift work in clearing out the walkers in the compound.

When attention was turned to the ruined guard towers, any ideas of repairs were met with vain attempts. We had lost the pair of them in the attacks. _Though thankfully that was all the losses that we had sustained. _

"Could we use this?" Andrea asked, eyeing up the jeep and gunner that had been left behind. Michonne shrugged.

"Not sure if you'd get it working again, I'm not quite sure what I did to the engine." She admitted as Merle lifted up the hood.

"Wouldn't it 'ave been easier to slash the tires?" The older Dixon asked, eyeing Michonne with a smirk. In return, Michonne grinned and shrugged again. "Well, ya 'ave fucked up the engine pretty good, Micky. Nice work with that."

"Got ourselves a bunch of new toys too." I announced, nodding to the gym bag full of the looted weapons and ammo. Rick opened it and nodded in approval, sending us both smiles.

"Good work." He commented before lifting up the grenade launcher.

"Better be careful where ya point that, Officer." Merle sniggered, strolling over and reaching his arm out to take the weapon from him. "Not too heavy for ya, huh?" He added as Rick's arms buckled slightly at the weight. Rick narrowed his eyes at the man, but didn't rise to the bait and allowed Merle to take the heavy weapon from him.

"We should hit Woodbury again now," Michonne suddenly announced. "While they're weak." Her idea startled the group for a moment, no one had considered the next move yet. "They won't suspect us to strike now, we'll have the advantage."

"If we hit the town, we'll be risking the lives of lots of innocent people inside." Andrea pointed out, folding her arms across her chest.

"Didn't stop 'em from attackin' us." Daryl muttered.

"Baby brother's right," Merle agreed with a nod before turning to Andrea's scowl. "But so is Blondie. Woodbury _is _full of old folk 'nd kids. Ya sure ya want that blood on ya hands, Micky?" Michonne didn't reply and merely stared evenly back at the older Dixon. Rick looked conflicted by the ideas, eyeing the prison thoughtfully.

"What 'bout a scoutin' mission instead?" Daryl asked, suddenly. Rick turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "They 'ave eyes on us, why not return the favour? We don't gotta kill anyone, just see what they're doin', try 'nd figure out what they're plannin' next." At this suggestion, Rick contemplated it thoughtfully before nodding.

"Only a small group though," The leader agreed. "Four of us should do, the rest stay here and load up the vehicles. I want the cars full of fuel and any spare that you can siphon from the prison buses, I want contained and packed into the RV. All food and medical supplies are to be loaded up, everything needs to be ready just incase."

"Incase we're running?" Andrea asked, smoothly. Rick's eyes ran over her but he didn't reply.

"Glenn, Tyreese and-" A pause as the leader ruefully sighed. "_Merle_ will take charge of these orders. Daryl, Michonne, Ruby and myself will be the scouting party." I found myself unsurprised by this order. Rick's eyes moved towards the three of us. "Get your stuff together, we leave as soon as."

…

We took the Hyundai as the vehicle was already ready to move. Rick drove, Daryl beside him. In seat behind Rick, I eyed the side of Daryl's face and shied away when the hunter's head turned a fraction, as if sensing my stare. The air between us all was quiet and tense.

Before leaving, Daryl had greeted me in my cell as I gathered up my stuff. He had stood for a long time in entrance, merely watching me as I tied my hair back, scraping strands away from my face. Carelessly, I pulled out another t-shirt, throwing it on the bed before turning to Daryl with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to change my shirt." I announced, eyeing him, my voice suddenly timid.

"Ya want me to turn 'round?" He asked, no trace of a smirk on his face.

I knew the memories of Woodbury and what the Governor had done to me lingered between us in that moment. I had never been the same and Daryl had seen the damage during the examinations I had had to endure, most insisting that I had to remove my shirt - an action that overwhelmed my body with fear. Daryl knew what I was going through, though I had never gotten around to telling the hunter _everything _that had happened between the Governor and myself, what had happened after Daryl was taken away. Despite both Rick and Lori urging that I should, I couldn't bring myself to strike the conversation up between us again.

I hesitated before answering, not wanting to appear weak in front of the hunter. As if seeing my confliction, Daryl turned slowly and as soon as his back was to me, I shrugged myself out of my old shirt. Keeping my eyes on the hunter's back, as if daring him to turn around, I pulled the new shirt over my head and straightened myself out. I took a moment to observe the strong stature of Daryl's back before announcing that I was done.

"What do you suppose happens now?" I asked, tucking my knife away into my belt. My sniper rifle was to be left behind, I knew there would be no use for it. I tucked my other gun into the back of my pants and shoved some spare ammo into my pockets. Daryl let out a sigh, hitching his crossbow higher up onto his shoulder.

"I don't know." He admitted, looking suddenly tired. "Don't suppose anyone does really." I hesitated before responding.

"I don't think I can just run away, Daryl." I murmured, receiving a raised eyebrow from the man. "I've run away from the Governor for too long, I won't do it again. I want to make this my last stand with him." Daryl studied me wordlessly. I sighed. "And I know Michonne and Merle will fight with me, I know that they want to finish it too." A pause. "I don't expect everyone else to hold the same regard, we'll stay and fight regardless. It's either him or us now, and I for one know that I won't stop till one of us is dead. _Preferably him.__"_ I attempted to smile at the hunter, though it took a moment before Daryl smiled back, his not quite reaching his eyes.

"'Nd if ya die?" He asked, quietly. After a thoughtful moment, I felt myself shrugging.

"I gave up on my own life a long time ago, Daryl. I don't care about myself. I will fight to keep Sophia alive, to keep the group safe." I replied. "I know if I do die then Sophia would be in good hands."

"Ya should." Daryl breathed, shaking his head. I frowned in confusion at his comment. "Ya should care 'bout yourself." I shrugged in response and Daryl stared at me for a long moment before sighing. "Don't give up on yourself just yet, girl. Cos if the Governor thinks he can kill ya _that easily_, then he's got another thing comin'. He's gotta get through _me _first." A genuine smile crossed my face at his words and I found myself overwhelmed with happiness. "Plus Sophia will 'ave a few things to say to him. Shouldn't underestimate her, the little lass has got a pretty lethal aim with a gun."

I hummed in agreement before striding towards the hunter and wrapping my arms around his middle, longing for his contact. A second passed before Daryl's arms enclosed around me and he exhaled deeply into my hair.

"Don't give up on yourself, girl. _Please._" He breathed softly, only just audible.

I closed my eyes, relishing his being and warmth. I couldn't bring myself to respond to his plea and found myself pulling away to look up at him. At the softness behind his gaze, I couldn't stop myself reaching up to cup his face, letting my thumb trail across his cheek bones. He flinched upon contact, though I knew that me touching him was something he'd never get used to, he didn't seem to enjoy physical contact _full stop_. Hesitantly, I reached up onto my tip-toes and placed one lingering kiss on his lips. It took him by surprise, though after a moment he squeezed the top of my arms lightly before leaning into the kiss.

It didn't last very long, though we were both content with just standing there for a moment, after pulling apart, foreheads resting against one another.

"C'mon, Michonne and Rick will be waiting for us." I breathed, pulling myself out Daryl's grip. He eyed me silently for a moment and I was taken back by the fact the hunter seemed completely unembarrassed by this display of affection between us, his cheeks unblushing. Instead he nodded and stood aside to let me past. We headed to the Hyundai and the awaiting pair in silence.

Since that moment in the cell, not a word had been spoken between Daryl and I though there wasn't any bad air between us. The hunter seemed thoughtful and I knew he was no doubt mulling over what I had said to him. When I risked glancing up at the hunter again, he was inspecting one of his many bolts carelessly. As if sensing my stare again, his head turned but I didn't shy away and I met his gaze evenly. I smiled hesitantly, to which he returned it with a small one of his own and immediately I felt better. If Michonne or Rick had noticed the exchange, they both played dumb to it.

Rick pulled the car to a halt at the side of the road, announcing that here we would carry on by foot.

"Gather _everything _you'll need. Don't leave anything important behind. If they come by this, lets not give them something to loot." Rick ordered and the four of us got out.

"So what's the plan?" Michonne asked as we began to walk towards Woodbury.

"We're just seeing what they're up to." Rick muttered in reply. "See if we can gather any information on their next move." I glanced at Michonne and took in the odd look in her eye. One that confused me, though I didn't comment on.

"We could split up?" She suggested. "We could cover more ground in pairs." At her idea, Rick glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. Him and Daryl exchanged a glance and I felt anger brewing in me for a moment - _did they still not trust Michonne? _

"I think that's a good idea." I found myself saying, in the need to stand up for my friend. I knew my tone was bitter and quickly changed it when both men turned to me, in confusion. "It makes sense, really." I offered with a shrug. As the men considered it, Michonne nodded to me gratefully. With a sigh, Rick finally nodded.

"We'll pair up then." He agreed. "Daryl, you're with-"

"I'd prefer to go with Ruby, if that's alright with you?" Michonne quickly added. "No disrespect to you gentlemen, but I know that Ruby and myself work well as a team. I've never been given the opportunity to work with either of you two alone and I don't think this is the situation to start." A pause as Daryl and Rick exchanged another glance. "Plus, I'm sure the pair of you would work better together too." I eyed my friend for a moment, wondering what she was up to. The men seemed to be considering this too, but I nodded once when Rick met my gaze and I knew that they were forced to agree.

"Fine."

When we reached the outskirts of Woodbury, we split off into our designated pairs. Rick ordered for us to meet back in the same spot in exactly one hour, as well as firmly telling us to _not _enter Woodbury under any circumstances. We were here to observe the town, not cause any more trouble. Not so soon after the attack. I nodded in response to his order while Michonne remained silent, though Rick didn't seem to notice her lack of response. With one last meaningful glance, he and Daryl disappeared in the other direction. Michonne gestured for me to follow and I let her lead the way in silence.

Upon our search, we noted that the Governor and his men had returned back to Woodbury, though judging by their activity, no more attacks seemed to be imminent. _That was reassuring. _Some people lingered on the streets, some argued with the guards in demands to know what was going on. It seemed there was trouble in paradise - we were no doubt the cause. The Governor wasn't to be seen anywhere though.

Making our way further along the wall, I quickly reached out and grabbed Michonne's arm, spinning her to face me.

"There's a reason you wanted to be paired with me." I stated with a hiss. "What was it?" Michonne eyed me carefully.

"Because I know you won't try and stop me. Because I know you'll understand." She replied slowly. At her response, my eyes widened and I frowned.

"Stop _what_?" I asked, carefully, unsure if I wanted to hear the response. Michonne hesitated again before replying.

"I'm going to find the Governor." She replied with a level of ease.

"What?!" I demanded, unsure if I had heard correctly. "Have you gone out of your mind?" Michonne glared at me.

"I _need _to do this, Ruby." She hissed, stepping closer. "I _need _to make him pay for what he did to us. Did to _me._"

Instantly, I understood what she was getting at. She wanted revenge for what the Governor had done to her when we were captives of Woodbury. She had come across as so strong after our return from the ordeal, apparently recovered from her torment. Though now I understood why she had kept herself so level, _she was planning her revenge. _

I found myself unable to argue anymore as I knew that anything I said would prove useless. I _knew _Michonne and I knew that this was something she had to do. While she may appear strong, this would help her recover properly. Though I didn't like it, I couldn't argue or deny it.

"Will you kill him?" I asked, quietly. After a long pause, Michonne sighed.

"I want him to suffer." She replied, her tone terrifying, and that was as much of an answer she offered me. Swallowing hard, I studied my friend and though her reply scared me, _she was still my friend. _

"I'll show you where his apartment is."

* * *

_(Author's Note): A quicker update than last time! And it's longer, not the longest, but hopefully the action makes up for that! Thank you very much for your response from the last chapter, I'm so happy that people are still sticking with this story, regardless of my useless updating skills! _

_Of course, this is adapted from the series finale, though it takes a different twist than the shows. I switched around some of the positions and of course, the Governor hasn't massacred all his people! Though, like Ruby said, there's trouble in paradise! ;) My actions writing isn't great, so you'll have to excuse this chapter if it's terrible. What did you guys think of my take on the finale? Like I said, I'm taking a different turn with this so everything hasn't gone the same as it has in the show and I'm not sure how much influence I will be taking now from it. The Governor will still be making another appearance, I'm afraid, he's not quite done with Team Prison just yet! Round Three is still to come! _

_Regarding Carl and the boy he killed, I really did think that was something very interesting to work with, so I kept it in. While in the show they've played it up immediately, especially with the relationship between Rick and him, I've decided that for the moment, Rick is going to be unwise of what Carl has done. My plans regarding Carl and his progression that he makes in the show hasn't been decided yet. I think a great deal of the 'maturing' that he does in the show has to come from two pivotal points in his life - Sophia's death and Lori's death. That's just my opinion. As neither has occurred, well he's not quite at the same stage as he is in the show. That being said, he's still wanting to prove himself, to prove that he's not a child. What are your thoughts on Carl? I understand that him killing the boy is a hot discussion point - was the boy going to surrender or not? - is a question I'll pose you guys. I, personally, think there was something very odd about the boy - why didn't he lower his gun immediately? I find myself swaying towards Carl's move, I'm afraid. What about you guys? _

_And of course, I ask you what do you guys reckon Michonne intends to do with the Governor? This has been something that I've planned right from when Ruby and Michonne were captured and taken to Woodbury. I'd like to know what you guys are expecting, or are perhaps wanting? I appreciate your comments, please tell me what you think of this chapter in general, I'd love to hear your criticism. _

_Thanks again to everyone, you guys are awesome! Hopefully my next update will be up soon! :)_


	48. Chapter Forty Seven

_Chapter Forty Seven_

Inside Woodbury, pandemonium seemed to have broken out after the latest 'battle' between groups. Due to this, the wall was less guarded than normal - probably because they wouldn't be expecting an attack so soon after - and Michonne and I were able to climb it and get inside unnoticed.

Numbly, I pointed in the direction of the building that contained the Governor's quarters. Michonne led the way eagerly and I hung back, observing my friend with an overwhelming sickness washing over me. _She had lied to Rick and Daryl. _While I attempted to understand her need for revenge, I wondered if completely compromising her trust with the group was worth it. I agreed with her - I wanted to make the Governor pay, though my revenge would be more inflicted for what he had done to the _group, _not what he had done to me personally. Michonne's reasons seemed purely selfish and as we trampled our way towards the apartment building, I wondered again if it was worth risking our own lives, and potentionally others, for her need to avenge her torments.

"This is it." I muttered and we crouched down beside a conventionally open window.

Michonne looked through first before clambering inside. I followed quickly and we found ourselves in the downstairs lobby of the apartment building. It was thankfully empty, though I remembered being here last time, the memories of my dead sister haunting me again. I swallowed back the lump in my throat as Michonne turned to me, expectantly.

"Where is it?" She asked, harshly. I studied her for a long moment, suddenly seeing only a stranger standing before me. Her eyes were set with determination, her hands already gripping her katana at the ready.

"The Governor's apartment is up the stairs and the second door on the right." I told her, repeating the same words that Merle had spoken to me. Without even waiting for me, Michonne was already up the stairs before I could register her movement. After some hesitation, I followed after her.

When she reached the instructed door, she wasted no time in the act of knocking and just marched right in. As she disappeared from view, I panicked, rushing after her and fearing the worse. Inside the apartment though, Michonne stood alone in the middle of the room, gazing around the place slowly. It _looked_ empty.

I wasn't sure whether to be thankful for this or not, though I found myself gazing around the room too and grimaced when my eyes passed over the closed door in the corner. The room that contained all the Governor's trophy heads. The room where my sister was killed.A sickening thought crossed my mind then; _had Jessica__'__s head joined those in the tanks? _My brain willed to go see, but I quickly stopped myself. I did not want to know the answer to that question.

"No one's home." I murmured, eyeing Michonne as she placed one of the dinning room chairs in the middle of the room, facing the door. "We're going to wait for him?" I asked, voice trembling.

"No." She replied. "_I _am. You're going to leave." At this, I raised an eyebrow. "I don't want you here to watch this." Slowly, I shook my head, my stomach uneasy.

"Michonne, I don't think this is a good idea." I tried, weakly. Michonne lowered herself onto the seat, her gaze solely on the door. "I know you want revenge, but now isn't the right time. We'll figure something else out. Please-"

"I _need _to do this, Ruby." She cut in, not even bothering to look at me. "I would have thought _you _have all people would understand that. Don't you get that I need to make him pay for what he did to me?" I took a step back at her harsh tone, shaking my head.

"I know you do." I breathed. "But not like this. Rick and Daryl - you _lied _to them. You've put yourself in danger, us _all _in danger-"

"That's why I want you to leave." She muttered, turning to face me. "I _am _going to do this, Ruby. And I don't want you here for it. Get out _now _and go wait by the wall. I'll be done before our hour's up."

"Michonne please-"

"_Just go_!"

At Michonne's snarl, I stumbled back, unnerved by the glare she was sending me. The woman before me bared no resemblance to my friend and I found myself unable to respond or argue anymore. Instead, I nodded weakly and my feet led me to the door. I glanced back at her, pleading with my gaze for her to give this up. Though the even stare she returned said it all and I slipped out the apartment without another word.

I grimaced as I walked away from the apartment, knowing that when Michonne came out again - _if Michonne came out again - _things would be different. My mind turned to Rick and Daryl and I remembered how she'd lied to them. When they found out, I wondered how much of Michonne's trust would be lost. I could imagine their angered faces now and I winced at the image. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I considered turning back to try and convince Michonne again, only the door to the building opened and the sounds of arguing voices reached my ears before I could move.

"-People are scared, Philip!" The voice sounded like Milton and I didn't need to look to know who he was talking to was.

_The Governor. _

Panic overwhelmed me when I realised that I would be discovered and I quickly reached for the door closest to the bottom of the stairs. When it opened, I breathed a sigh of relief and slipped into the darkened room, which I realised was a storage closet. Keeping the door open a slither, I was able to hear and observe the scene outside. My heart raced at this predicament that I was now in. _What the hell were we doing? _

"They want answers." Milton continued. I couldn't see the pair, but footsteps alerted me that they were nearing the stairs and coincidently, my sight line.

"I want every able body armed and ready. Round up the youths, we need back up after this latest stint. Anyone strong enough to hold up a gun is to be recruited." The Governor replied, shortly, his tone trembling with anger.

"You're seriously not intending to launch another attack _now_?" Milton cried as the pair came into view. The Governor leading the way slightly, Milton trailing behind. The former's face was a picture of fury, while the latter's contained only desperation and fear. "Lets arrange another meeting, try and establish some peace agreements or _something_. Philip, all this fighting isn't right-" Suddenly, the Governor turned on the shorter man and before Milton could react, he was pinned against the wall, the Governor's hands around his throat.

"You don't get to give me orders." The Governor hissed, darkly. Milton's eyes widened and his face reddened as the Governor applied pressure on his throat. "I want those people _annihilated. _I want their last moments to be that of fear and desperation. I want my face to be the last thing that _Officer Grimes _sees after I've made him watch his people _die._" Milton trembled at his words. "And I won't stop until I get that, you understand?" Milton hesitated. "You understand?!" The Governor screeched, slamming Milton harder against the wall. The man squeaked in fright before nodding furiously. Satisfied, the Governor dropped his hands and backed off. "Good. Now I don't want to _ever _hear you question my judgement again." As if seeing sense from last time, Milton nodded mutely, and after gazing at the shaking man once more, the Governor walked away and began to head up to his apartment.

From inside the closet, I observed Milton as he attempted to straighten himself out, making no move to follow after his leader. Judging by his shaken up state, he had never witnessed this side of his dear _Philip _before. I pitied him though suddenly a thought occurred to me.

_Was this my chance to reach out to Milton? _

I certainly couldn't have asked for a better starting point, now the Governor had showed his true light to the man before me. Carefully, I opened the door and stepped out. My actions were so quiet that Milton didn't hear me and still remained leaning back against the wall he had been slammed into, trying to gather himself together again. Swallowing hard, I coughed lightly. Milton's eyes shot up in fear.

"You-" Milton stuttered, eyeing me with wide eyes. "What are you- how did you-?" He shook his head in confusion and I smiled weakly.

"Hello again Milton." I attempted to greet him, though my voice sounded too forced. The man's eyebrows shot up as I recalled his name and he opened and closed his mouth in shock.

"Hello-" A pause. "Ruby?" I nodded in confirmation. "Jessica's sister." The last part was added under his breath as an afterthought and I flinched at my dead sister's name. "How did you get in here?" I pointed to the window.

"Climbed in." I replied, shortly with a shrug. Milton frowned, pushing himself away from the wall and taking a few steps towards me. For a moment, I thought he was going to run and try and alert the others. Instinctively, my hand reached for my gun, an action that didn't go amiss with Milton.

"Are you here to kill me?" He asked, his tone surprisingly even. I shook my head slowly, my throat constricting as I remembered the _real _reason I was in _that _particular building.

"I came to talk." I told the man. At this Milton raised an eyebrow.

"To talk?" He asked in disbelief. "You sure have picked your moment." He observed thoughtfully and I smiled at the man before glancing between the door and the stairs.

"Are you going to alert the others that I'm here?" I asked, slowly, my hand on my gun readily. Milton eyed the weapon in my hand thoughtfully again for a moment before shaking his head. "Good." I didn't put my gun away, though Milton didn't call me up on it. "I saw what he did to you." I announced, pointing vaguely to upstairs, where the Governor had disappeared to. Milton shuddered slightly, closing his eyes.

"He's under a lot of stress." At this reply, I scoffed.

"So is _my _leader, but he doesn't go around attacking his own." _Save for maybe Merle, _I noted in my head, _though who didn't want to attack Merle_? When Milton didn't reply, I continued. "I tried to tell you what he was like. You no doubt know about the attack he just launched on the prison and I don't doubt for a second that he'll stop there. You heard what he said, Milton, he's out for blood and he doesn't care how many of are hurt in the progress. That _includes _his own." Milton remained thoughtful for a moment before swallowing hard and bowing his head.

"I'm starting to see that now." He breathed. Triumphantly, I saw a chance of hope in the man before me.

"Do you know that he asked for a trade? Hand _me _in for peace?" Milton nodded, shamefully. "Do you know _what _he did to Michonne and I when we were in Woodbury?" Milton stared, horrified, back at me and I knew that he didn't. I grimaced, not wanting to share any details, but hoping that he'd use some initiative of his own to work it out.

"I didn't even know _why_ you were in Woodbury." Milton admitted, quietly. "I knew that Philip had taken some prisoners in; I had heard Martinez and Merle talking about it. When I asked Philip about it, he couldn't give me a straight answer. From what I could gather, you threatened the safety of Woodbury." I shook my head in disbelief.

"He snatched us to act out his revenge for what we did to him a long time ago. He tortured us for the location of our group, _my own sister _instigated our kidnapping, Milton." The man studied me for a long moment, his eyes showing his confusion of all these new ideas he was taking in. His gaze wandered briefly up towards the stairs and then he turned back to me. Slowly, Milton stepped towards me.

"The people don't want to attack again." Milton told me under his breath. "They're frightened."

"We _all_ are, Milton." I pointed out before shaking my head. "My people and I aren't the bad guys in all this. We didn't start this fight. We do what we do to keep our people alive. Your Governor is to blame for all this." A pause. "You know, you could end anymore innocent lives to be lost." At this Milton frowned.

"Are you suggesting I _assassinate _the Governor." Frowning, I wasn't sure what I was suggesting, though the idea of assassinating the Governor seemed one to be strongly considered now.

"Maybe." I admitted, with a shrug. After a pause, I continued. "The Governor has brainwashed the people of Woodbury, Milton. He's on a destructive path and he's taking everyone in this town down with him." Milton frowned thoughtfully, though didn't deny it. "You could stop it before it's too late, Milton. Join us at the prison, bring others with you." Milton's eyes widened at the suggestion. "You would be welcomed-"

"I don't think so-"

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs halted the conversation and we both turned as Michonne descended the stairs. Her expression was blank and she stared unemotionally at the wall. Her steps were slow and rigid, though I noted that she limped slightly now. Another sight that caught my attention was her freshly bloodied sword that hung loosely at her side now. Her own blood trickled down the side of her face from a large gash at the top of her head. Some of her clothes were ripped and damp, from blood and something else.

"What have you done?" Milton breathed, unable to comprehend the sight of Michonne before us. Slowly, Michonne raised her gaze and glanced between us. When I met my friend's eyes, they were so hollow and empty that it scared me.

Without another word, Milton had pushed past Michonne on the stairs and was running up them, towards the Governor's apartment. Michonne staggered slightly as the man's shove had sent her off balance and she winced a little, holding her side. I studied her for a moment, shaking my head, fear overwhelming me.

"Ruby, no!" Before Michonne could stop me, I followed Milton up the stairs. Limping footsteps behind me, alerted me what Michonne was following too.

The door to the Governor's apartment was open slightly and I hesitated before going inside. Carefully, I pushed the door open and it did so with a creak. Milton stood with his back to me, looking down at something I couldn't see. Slowly, I made my way inside, closer. My gaze was drawn to the door in the corner, which was now open and illuminated the room in a shivering glow from the fish tanks. I eyed the floor by the open door and noted that there was a large puddle of water and glass now. Confused, I carried on closer to Milton, my eyes following the trail of blood that led to whatever Milton was staring at. When I finally came to the man's side, my eyes widened with shock and I blanched back, bile rising to my throat.

The Governor lay unmoving on the floor, in a puddle of what I suspected was his own blood. His shirt was torn and there was long slashes across his chest, blood gaping out of them, and I didn't need to ask what Michonne had used to create them. The bloodied blade was a big enough hint. My eyes were drawn suddenly to his hands, which seemed grotesquely mangled and when I looked hard enough, I noticed that some of his fingers were missing. Eyeing the stumps carefully, they didn't seem to have been removed with the swiftness of a blade and looked to had been torn off even in force. _Bitten off maybe? _My stomach churned at the possibilities.

The Governor's head was lolled to the side and blood clumped over the area where his ear _should_ have been. Now all that remained were strands of hanging flesh and a large gaping hold. Studying his head, I noticed another mutilation that sickened me greatly. Though his head was on it's side, with only one half in view, an object lay close to his head, so close that it even looked to be attached. Upon closer examining, I was horrified to realise that the object was in fact the man's _eyeball, _ripped from it's socket and attached loosely still, hanging by the place of his bloodied eye socket.

The large bloodied stain that was forming on the Governor's pants drew my attention next but I didn't need to look too hard to know what Michonne had done. _She had castrated him. _

Looking up, I found my friend's gaze as she stood nearby. Her eyes held something of desperation as she pleaded with me silently. _To understand perhaps? _Though I knew _why _she had done it, _what _she had actually done to him horrified me too much to even consider this.

"Is he dead?" Milton asked, barely above a whisper, breaking the silence. I turned away from the body before us, unable to look at it any longer.

"I don't know." Michonne replied, her voice wavering. Milton nodded once before slowly crouching down beside the body. With a shaking hand, he reached forward and placed a finger on the Governor's neck, to check for a pulse. After a long tense moment, Milton sighed.

"He's still alive." He announced. I wasn't sure what I should have felt at this announcement though started back when Milton's accusing gaze found mine. "You were distracting me, weren't you?" I shook my head frantically.

"No, no! Milton, I assure you that that wasn't my intention!" I tried, hoping that he would believe me. His gaze didn't waver though.

"This doesn't change _who _and _what _he is." Michonne began slowly. "He's a sadist. What I did to him is barely enough payment for what he's done to others, believe me."

Milton glanced between the pair of us, his expression showing that he was unsure what to believe. I tried to urge him to believe us, to believe _me. _Finally, Milton turned to the bloodied mess that was his leader and sighed loudly.

"I'm going to call for medical attention. I suggest you leave. _Now_." He told us both, slowly. His reply, despite his tone, gave me hope. He wasn't going to turn us in as easily as he could have done, he was letting us go. When Milton found my gaze again, I nodded once in thanks, to which he returned with a single one of his own.

Michonne led the way out the apartment, though I hesitated at the door before joining her. I turned back to the man and sighed.

"You and whoever else seeks sanitary are welcome at the prison." I urged Milton softly before quickly following Michonne as we left.

As soon as we had both made it successfully out of the window, the commotion began and we had only a short amount of time to get over the wall before we would be spotted. Regardless of her injury, Michonne heaved herself over without any complaints and in silence we rushed towards the point we would be meeting Rick and Daryl, the air between the pair of us heavy with tension now. I couldn't bring myself to look at the woman beside me.

Once we reached the meeting point, neither Rick nor Daryl were there. Bidding to wait for them, I found myself pacing back and forth, trying to rid the horrific images of the Governor's body from my mind, though my stomach only churned more.

"Ruby?" Michonne asked, carefully "Talk to me." I sent the woman a brief glance over my shoulder, not pausing in my pacing.

"I don't have anything to say to you." I breathed, running a frantic hand through my hair.

"I did what I had to do-"

"You _mutilated _him!" I screeched, rounding on her. Michonne looked visibly startled before she frowned at me.

"He got what he deserved." She muttered. "You know what he did to me. What he did to us-"

"Stop bringing me into this!" I cut in, shaking my head. "You didn't do this as 'payment for what he's done to others'. You did this for yourself! You lied to Rick and Daryl, you manipulated me!"

"I told you what I was going to do!" She countered, glaring.

"You didn't tell me you were going to castrate the damn man and gouge out his fucking eye!" I hissed, stepping close to her.

"I did this for _us_."

"And you're still standing there, using _me _as an excuse for what you did. Don't bring me into this."

"I know what he did to you-"

"No you don't!" I shook my head. There was hesitation between us as we merely stared one another down. "We've never talked about what happened in those rooms."

"_You_ know that he raped me." Michonne replied, easily, and I winced at her throw away tone. Her eyes narrowed. "_I_ know that he beat you senseless, over and over again."

"That's hardly anything in comparison to what he did to you-"

"I know Merle tried to kill you." Michonne's words halted me. I frowned in confusion, eyeing the woman carefully. _What? _"The wall between our rooms were pretty thin, Ruby. I'd have thought you'd have worked out that the level of audibility works both ways." I shook my head, unable to respond. "You're right, you may not have been raped by that disgusting psychopath but I couldn't imagine what having someone that I once cared for - _do care for - _turn up after so long and try and strangle the life from me."

"It's not the same." I argued, weakly.

"I know what he did to you and Daryl." Michonne admitted and I rounded back on her with a confused glare. "Merle told me."

"Why are we talking about this?" I asked, quietly.

"Because I'm trying to explain to you _why _I did what I did." She breathed, suddenly looking very vulnerable. "_No_, I may not have done this for the others, you're right. But I didn't just do this for _me.__"_I wasn't sure whether this comment was reassuring or not. Recalling the images of the mutilated man, I felt sick knowing that _I _somehow had a hand in that.

"You lied to Rick and Daryl." I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "You're supposed to be part of the group and you betrayed their trust." Michonne nodded slowly.

"I know, but that's the price I have to pay." She sighed, shrugging, before eyeing me sadly. "Please don't look at me like that, Ruby. I'm prepared for those looks from the others when they find out, but I can't stand seeing that look from you."

Unsure as to what look she was meaning, I couldn't ask what she was talking about as suddenly two figures were approaching us at a quick speed. We both readied our weapons but when they got closer, their familiar outlines eased our tension. When they reached us though, Rick's face of fury made me start back.

"What the hell have you done?" He hissed, eyeing us both. "What the hell is happening?"

He gestured back in the direction of the town which had been rendered into another state of chaos after Michonne's stunt. I glanced towards the woman, deciding immediately that _she _would be the one to explain this to Rick. Meeting Daryl's gaze, I immediately bowed my head in shame as Michonne sighed.

"Let's discuss this when we're at a better distance from this place." She urged, her tone tired.

I noted Rick's eyes glanced down at her injuries before he met her gaze with another scowl. Without any more questions, the leader turned and marched away, urging the rest of us to follow. Michonne hesitated, turning to me expectantly though I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. With a sad sigh, she brushed past me and followed Rick in solitude. Daryl lingered beside me, eyeing the other woman before glancing down at me with a frown.

"Ya alright?" He asked, quietly. I nodded numbly, unable to find my voice. With a sigh, Daryl took hold of my arm and urged me along as we followed after the others, away from Woodbury.

"Start explaining. _Now._" Rick urged, when we reached the car again.

Night had already been upon us for some time, though now it put me on edge. Daryl turned away from the discussion to keep an eye out for approaching walkers, now that we were vulnerable in the dark. Rick only had eyes for Michonne.

"I went to see the Governor." Michonne told him, slowly. At her confession, Rick's eyes widened and Daryl glanced over his shoulder with a frown.

"You did-" Rick shook his head slowly, his face horrified. "I gave you a _direct _order to stay _out _of Woodbury. Did I not make myself damn clear?!"

"You did, but it was something I had to do." Michonne replied, evenly, not missing a beat. Rick eyed her incredulously.

"_What _did you do?" He asked, quietly. At this, I couldn't help but grimace and run a hand through my hair, the action not going unnoticed by Rick and Daryl. "_You _went with her?" He asked, his glare directed at me now. I opened my mouth to speak, though Michonne answered for me.

"I twisted her arm." She muttered. "She is not to blame for this, it's all me. Yes, she came into Woodbury with me. Though everything that happened, was _my _fault." I didn't know whether to be assured at Michonne defending me and instead remained silent. "We should be heading back to the prison."

"Not until I know what you've done." Rick hissed. Michonne hesitated and instead of answering held up her sword, which still glistened with blood. Rick eyed it carefully before running a shaking hand over his face.

"Is he dead?" Daryl asked, his tone emotionless.

"No he isn't." Michonne replied, shaking her head. "He'll be back." At this, Rick scoffed and glared at the woman.

"With a _vengeance _too." He sneered. Michonne shook her head once.

"It doesn't matter what I've done, it doesn't effect the group. He would have still come back." She argued. Rick shook his head.

"It _does _matter. You have _no_ idea what you've done now." Rick hissed, opening the car door. "Get in." With that, the defiant leader got into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut as he did. It was clear that Rick was beyond fuming.

"You've gone 'nd done it now." Daryl muttered with a sigh before making his way around into the passenger seat. We climbed into the car in silence before Rick pulled away and accelerated towards the prison at a quickened pace.

We arrived back at the prison with dusky skies. Not a single word had been spoken since we had got into the vehicle and I eyed Rick carefully from the back, taking in his tense expression and how his hands clenched the wheel, unimaginably tight. Michonne beside me, stared down at the bloodied katana in her lap, not raising her gaze once. Eyeing her carefully, I noted her lips moving and wondered briefly what she was doing. _Ol__'__ Micky__'__s gone crazy. _Merle's echoing voice blared then and I swallowed hard, looking away from the woman beside me.

Glenn was on hand to move the bus from its obstruction at the main gates. Rick ploughed past, approaching the yard gates as Maggie and Tyreese were opening them. He swung the car around, slamming the brakes on with such immense force that jolted us within. Meeting Daryl's gaze briefly, the hunter raised an eyebrow at our leader's actions before the four of us climbed out the Hyundai as Maggie, Tyreese and Glenn approached us.

"Is everything alright?" Maggie asked, carefully, taking in each one of us in turn. Her eyes lingered on Michonne's bloodied weapon and the injuries the woman was supporting.

"No, it isn't." Rick hissed. "Everyone back to the cell block. _Now._"

Not even bothering to see if we'd follow, our leader marched away, leaving us behind in fluster. Daryl was the first to make a move, sighing deeply before placing a careful hand on my shoulder, nudging me forward with him.

As the six of us followed our leader back to the cell block, when we approached block A, Rick's bellowing voices were heard as he shouted for attention. Once we were inside too, the rest of the group began to herd together, confused as to what was happening.

Tyreese quickly moved back to his sister's side, as if sensing trouble. He urged Michonne along with him, who looked reluctantly to go at first, trying to seek my gaze. When I didn't provide, she ruefully allowed her lover take her by the hand and lead her away. As she did, I noted the woman hiding her limp as she walked and swallowed hard, making note to get Herschel to look her over when Rick had finished.

On the platform above, Herschel helped Lori walk along closer until they were perched above the action. Sophia and Carl followed after them, Judith curled in the former's arms. I noticed the distance between the pair and how extended it seemed. Sophia's pace lagged and she would send worried glances at her friend, as if she was fearful of him. Carl himself stared forward, a determind look on his face, his hand lingering on the gun on his belt.

"Rick, what's happened?" Lori asked, quietly, as our leader paced furiously before us all.

"Why don't ya ask _her?_" Daryl muttered, nodding to Michonne, who sent him a glare in return.

"She looks like she's injured, Rick." Herschel pointed out carefully. Michonne grimaced at the attention she had gathered and she backed away slightly from Tyreese and Sasha, as if needing the space. "I should look at her-"

"No!" Rick hissed. "No you will not. She has compromised us all." Michonne glared at the man again.

"I have compromised _nothing. _He was always going to come back, regardless of what I did." She sneered, meeting the leader's darkened gaze.

"'Nd what exactly 'ave ya done, Micky?" Merle asked, slowly, glancing between the pair with a thoughtful expression. I noticed the older Dixon's gaze trail down to Michonne's weapon and he approached her carefully before taking her wrist in his and raising it up so he could take a better look at the bloodied item. "Ya went to see him, didn't ya?" At her lack of response, the group took that as a confirmation. Rick seethed some more.

"You went against a direct order from me!" He continued as Merle dropped Michonne's arm and back up slightly. "You lied to us and then put one of our own in _danger _because of your selfish bid for revenge! Do you have any idea what would have happened if he had found Ruby?! The man wanted to _trade _her, does her life not mean anything to you?!" When the attention drew to me, I grimaced before shaking my head. Michonne glared at the man as his accusations grew.

"Don't you dare accuse me of not caring for her." Michonne grumbled, her tone dark.

"She told me to go." I tried, a weak attempt to defend Michonne.

"Which is a point, actually." Michonne muttered, her narrowed gaze suddenly on me now. "I _did _tell you to go. _Why _didn't you?!" I frowned in surprise as she glared at _me_.

"I tried!" I cried, sending her my own scowl. "But the Governor came back before I could get away! And did you honestly think I'd just leave you behind while you were with _him._" Her scowl didn't waver and I scoffed. "Though now I wished I had left so I wouldn't have had to see what you've done, what horrible things you're capable of!"

"I told you I didn't want you to see what I was going to do!" Michonne retorted, stepping closer. "But you didn't listen to me-"

"Oh like when you didn't listen to me when I asked to leave? When I told you that it wasn't the right time?" I muttered, bitterly. "_You_ didn't listen to me then because you were too busy figuring out how you were going to mutilate his _fucking_ body!"

Michonne moved forward suddenly towards me and in an instant, Daryl had raised his crossbow and aimed it at her head. She halted in her tracks and eyed the man with distaste. The hunter just stared back evenly, apparently unmoved by her glare.

"You think I'd _hurt_ her?" She asked him with a sneer. Daryl narrowed his eyes.

"Drop the damn sword, woman, 'nd _step back._" He replied, coldly. Michonne scoffed and there was an echoing clattering as she obliged in dropping her sword. Mockingly, she raised her hands and stepped back, her eyes never leaving Daryl's.

"You gonna put yours down too, _lover boy_?" Michonne muttered evenly, earning herself a glare though Daryl lowered his crossbow slowly even so.

"Ya know what I think?" Merle's voice echoed out, cutting through the tension. "That ya should 'ave killed the asshole when ya had the chance." Rick glared at the man and opened his mouth to speak, though he was cut off.

"Rick, that's enough." Herschel spoke, evenly, his expression was stern. "She needs medical attention and I won't let you hassle her anymore until I've looked her over." Herschel's tone left no room for arguments and Rick glared once at the woman before nodding slowly.

"Fine." He hissed before switching his attention else where. "Is all the gas loaded into the vehicles?"

"We did everything you asked, Rick." Glenn confirmed, nodding. Rick sighed and patted the kid on the back with appreciation.

"Good. I want all the food and water loaded in now, pack most in the RV but share some amongst the other cars too. Just incase." Rick eyed the group carefully. "I also want all the weapons and ammo that we posses gathered together and made note of. We're gonna need to see how much we have to work with. Glenn, you're in charge of loading up the food. Maggie and the kids can help you with that. Tyreese, you're in charge of gathering the weapons. Andrea, Sasha and Daryl can help you with that." With Herschel looking over Michonne, and Lori unfit to help out, I noted with a frown that Rick had left both Merle and myself out of the orders.

"Shall Ruby 'nd I help out with the stock takin', Officer?" Merle asked with a frown, apparently also noticing that we had been left out. Rick shook his head.

"You're both coming out on watch with me." He muttered, his eyes passing over towards Michonne briefly. "I need to discuss something with you both." Merle met my gaze with a frown. "Carl, run into the security room and get us a radio." His son obliged to his order, running back and throwing the radio down to his father's awaiting arms, holding another in his grasp. "I want that radio on hand at all times."

With a confirming nod from his son, Rick turned to Merle and I before gesturing in the direction of the cell block door. He strode past us both, not bothering to look back to see if we were following. Merle glanced back at Michonne, nodding once in acknowledgement before following our leader's strides. The rest of the group watched as we left, the tension around high. I could only manage a brief smile in Michonne's direction before Merle had grasped my arm and tugged to me follow.

We walked back out in silence, both Merle and I confused as to why _we_ had been asked to join our leader outside. Rick didn't talk though until we were all stood in the prison yard, to where he turned to us both with a frown.

"I don't blame you, Ruby, for what happened." Rick muttered with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. I raised an eyebrow before nodding once. Now it made sense why Rick had asked for Merle and myself - he wanted to talk about Michonne.

"With all due respect, Officer, Micky is right 'bout what she said 'bout the Governor." Merle said, folding his arms carefully. "Don't matter what she did to him, he's still comin' for us. We know this already. _You _know this already." Rick sent him a half-hearted glare.

"She's made things worse." Rick argued though Merle scoffed.

"As if our situation could get any worse." The older Dixon smirked. "We're already in deep shit, Officer, 'nd that ain't got anythin' to do with what Micky did." Rick sighed, walking away from us and running another hand through his tangled hair. Merle and I eyed him silently.

"I don't trust her." Rick muttered finally.

"'Nd ya trust _me?_" Merle countered, though earned himself a glare.

"Barely." Rick sighed. "Though _you _haven't actively gone against my orders. And this is the _second _time she's put Ruby in danger with those people."

"The first time doesn't count." I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

"You got taken-"

"So did she." I pointed out.

"Is this really 'bout ya trust issues with Micky, Officer, or are ya just pissed she didn't follow ya orders like a good _soldier_?" Merle asked with a sneer. Rick glared darkly at him and Merle held up his arms in an attempt of peace. "Just an observation."

"Keep your observations to yourself next time." Rick hissed.

"Rick, I know she messed up, but she didn't do it with the intent of going against you." I tried, quietly.

"Then _why _did she do it?" The man cried.

"Revenge." I shrugged with a sigh. "For what he did to her - _to us both _- in Woodbury." Both men blanched at my words, both aware at the ordeal we had gone through.

"Why are _you _mad at Micky?" Merle asked, glancing down at me. "If Micky was out for revenge, I would 'ave thought you'd 'ave rallied at the chance too." After sending the older redneck a half-hearted glare, I found myself struggling to answer.

"Because of _what _she did, not why." I admitted, the images of the Governor's mangled body blaring in my memories. I grimaced. "Neither of you saw what she'd done to him, I just- I don't understand-" I shuddered. "I didn't know what she was capable of." I finished, lamely. Merle studied me for a long moment, frowning thoughtfully.

"Well, we've always known that ol' Micky's got a screw loose, don't we, darlin'?" At this, Merle winked and grinned. "The bastard deserves all she did to him, anyway." I nodded in agreement.

"I know, I just can't-" I trailed off.

"Can't get the images out of ya head?" Merle offered and I nodded. I eyed the silent leader before us, who's expression was conflicted as he glanced between us.

"What is this about, Rick?" I asked, quietly, seeing the leader's inner turmoil. With a sigh, Rick bowed his head.

"We're running out of options." He admitted, tiredly. "The group's torn between leaving or staying. We have so much to lose either way. The odds are staked against us and I-" He paused, frowning. "People are looking to me for answers, to save them all. But how can I when there doesn't seem to be much hope for us anymore?" The silence blared after his confession and Rick slumped in defeat, a hand going to his messy hair again and tugging at it harshly. My stomach plummeted at the sight of the desperate leader though my companion didn't hold this same regard.

"Jesus man! If I knew ya were gonna 'ave a nervous breakdown, I'd 'ave stayed inside." Merle muttered, earning himself a glare from the man. "'Nd Christ, how come all you people do is talk 'bout lost hope 'nd shit? Get yourselves together! Ya ain't dead yet, ain't no point givin' in!" Rick raised an eyebrow at Merle's words.

"Isn't there?" He retorted, though Merle merely scoffed.

"Ya depressin' me, Officer, with ya lack of optimism!" Merle sighed. "If ya let yourself get to the stage of givin' up then ya just lettin' the Governor beat ya."

"So, would you rather us stand and fight against him until he's gunned down every last one of us?" Rick hissed.

"No, I'm sayin' stop bein' such a fuckin' pussy 'nd assumin' that's gonna happen. There's been two fights. He's won one, we've won one. I ain't ever been good at maths, but I reckon that makes us both even. We still got an equal chance at this. Jesus, Officer, man up!"

"Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your delicate approach to things, Merle?" I muttered, sarcastically. "You sure know how to put things lightly." Merle smirked down at me.

"Just sayin' it how it is."

"You honestly think we have a chance at this?" Rick asked, his tone firm, though with an edge of desperation. Merle shrugged.

"Ya asked me that before. My same answer still stands." Merle replied, evenly. Rick eyed the man carefully.

"And where do _you _stand, Merle?" Rick asked, quietly. "Are you wanting to stay and fight or leave?"

"I want nothing more than to grime that asshole's face into the dirt. But I stand beside my brother. If he stays, I stay. If he goes, so do I." Merle shrugged. Despite being a complete ass, _no one _could dishonour the man and his loyalty to his brother. I couldn't help but admire the man in that moment after he gave his answer to Rick. "That's where _I _stand, Officer." Rick nodded at this thoughtfully, when his gaze trailed over mine I smiled slightly.

"You already know my answer." I pointed out, lightly. There was a moment of silence between the three of us. "What are you going to do to Michonne?" My question was hesitant and I felt worry overwhelm me as Rick scowled at the mention of her name.

"Nothing." Rick replied after a pause. "There isn't anything I can do. I'm not going to cast her out or punish her. Not now." I felt relieved at this answer and smiled gratefully at the man.

"Ya remember those strategies we went through, Officer?" Merle began, slowly. Rick raised his gaze to the older Dixon. "We go through those again, work out everyone's positions. Get the group together again, sort through the ones who want to stay 'nd those that don't. Ain't no point forcin' anyone to do anything they don't wanna. We plan our defence down to the last detail. Ya 'ave already started workin' on the escape route by packin' up the supplies. We're halfway there." To my surprise, Rick smiled weakly at the other man, apparently thrilled at Merle's attempt of 'help'. Merle smirked in return before shrugging. "We ain't done yet, Officer. Believe me, we ain't goin' down without a fight!"

…

After Michonne had been looked over, she had been sent to her cell to rest by Herschel. Once Merle and I returned from our 'discussion' with Rick, Daryl headed out to aid the leader on watch. Those inside the cell block had begun the tasks that Rick had given to them, though had paused to rest. As Merle left to go find Michonne, no doubt to delve details from her as to what she had done to the Governor, I trailed off onto the upper floor and headed to the security room.

Lori was in the room alone, sat up on the couch with Judith in her arms. When I entered, the mother was humming and singing softly to the infant, though stopped at my entrance. She beamed at me before beckoning me to come inside.

"You're looking better." I noted, taking a seat beside the woman. Lori nodded.

"Herschel says I'm getting much stronger." She informed me. "Which is good. It means, I'm less of a burden if it comes down to running." I wanted to tell the woman that she wouldn't be a burden, but the words wouldn't form. Sensing my struggle, Lori smiled at me before offering the peaceful infant out to me. At first, I wanted to reject the invitation, though Lori then muttered; "My arms are hurting." and I took the baby carefully into my arms without another thought.

"She's a lot quieter than I expected she would be." I observed with a murmur. "I've rarely heard her cry." Lori chuckled bitterly.

"You're lucky." She muttered, laughing. "I think at the moment, Carl is the only one who can truly get her to stop crying. Him and Sophia are so good with her."

At the mention of her son, I couldn't help but remember the secret Michonne and I were keeping from Lori and Rick regarding their eldest child. I shuddered as Carl's cold tone echoed in my head, _I did what I had to do, _though remembered Michonne's advise - _keep this between us. _Neither parent needed the extra worry so I quickly decided that the secret would continue being a secret, for the time being that was.

"You know, I was in here when Herschel was examining Michonne earlier." Lori began slowly. "She's worried about you." I found myself scoffing.

"What does she need to worry about?" I muttered, eyeing the infant and refusing to meet the pointed gaze that Lori was directing at me.

"Actually I think she's worried about your thoughts regarding _her._" Lori elaborated. I nodded stiffly with understanding and she paused. "Will you talk to her about it?"

"Probably." I admitted. "I'm conflicted with understanding why she did what she did and the memories of the Governor, what he looked like all-" I grimaced, unconsciously and the infant stirred slightly in my arms at the sudden jolt of movement. "It'll pass though, I know it will. I just need time to get my head around it." At this, I finally glanced up at the woman beside me and she nodded with understanding before smiling.

"You've got me if you ever need to talk about it, Ruby. Just remember that." I smiled gratefully at the woman before I found myself chuckling suddenly. "What's so funny?"

"Can you remember when I first joined the group?" I asked, grinning. "I'm not going to lie, I wasn't your biggest fan and I'm pretty sure you didn't like me very much. Now look at us." My grin evolved into a warm smile, to which Lori returned before she laughed heartedly.

"That's true." She nodded in agreement, her eyes lingering on her daughter. "I'm glad we both saw sense. Your friendship means a lot to me, Ruby."

"As does yours." I admitted, suddenly sheepish. Lori looked amused by my embarrassment before the woman suddenly titled her head thoughtfully. "What?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"Carol would be proud of all you've done for Sophia. I hope you know that." I felt myself overwhelm with emotion and I quickly shifted my gaze away from the woman, back down to her daughter.

"And I hope _you _know how much of good mother you are too." I muttered. At this, Lori chuckled bitterly.

"Just an awful wife." She countered and I turned back to her, taking in her sad expression.

"I thought we'd snapped you out of that?" I asked, quietly. I hadn't heard her speak like that for some time now. Lori hesitated.

"I keep looking at Judith and wondering-" Lori trailed off and I nodded with understanding.

"Whether she's Rick's or Shane's?" I supplied. "Surely it doesn't matter either way? She's _Rick__'__s _daughter anyway. He's her father." Lori nodded, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I know," She breathed. "I'm just afraid that she'll grow up and be a constant reminder of what I did. What I did to him. I can't even imagine what it'll do to Rick if she looks like-" She cut herself off, wiping her tears away quickly.

"He loves her, regardless." I pointed out. Lori sniffed loudly before reaching towards her sleeping daughter and running a light finger along her cheek.

"I know he does." Lori nodded slowly before quickly wiping the remaining tears away and beaming brightly at me. "Enough of me moaning though. Let's talk about something else." I raised an eyebrow, though grimaced at the mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Please don't ask me anything about Daryl." I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the woman. "There are more important things to talk about than that." Lori shrugged.

"It can't always be sadness and gloom, Ruby." Lori pointed out with a grin. "I love having these conversations with you about our young redneck. Reminds me of when I was first dating Rick and all my girlfriends would always hassle me for details."

"Ahh, so you're taking the reversed role now." I observed. "You've become the one doing the _hassling _as appose to the one who's _hassled._"

"Yeah, this role is much more fun." Lori replied, brightly, laughing cheerfully and causing me to roll my eyes. "Now are you going to answer me?"

"I don't know what you're asking, so how can I?" I retorted, bitterly, earning myself a feign glare. "Fine." I muttered, turning my gaze to Judith again, to avoid the gleaming woman beside me. "We've- I've kinda-" I began, stuttering. "We've both admitted our erm-" Glancing at Lori, I shuddered at the grin. "_Feelings._"

"Really?!" Lori asked, raising her eyebrows. "Go on then, how did Daryl tell you? I can't imagine Daryl Dixon being great with words." I laughed humourlessly.

"He didn't exactly _tell _me. More-" A pause. "_Showed _me." The moment of silence between us was awkward from my perspective and I avoided eye contact from the woman. _As if I was discussing _this _topic of conversation at times such as they were. _At imminent attack over our heads and I was discussing my 'love life'. Things certainly were taking a turn for the weird.

"I don't even know how to respond." Lori admitted, a smile in her voice.

"Then don't?" I suggested. With a sigh, I ruefully added. "I'm not quite sure where we actually stand though. We've not really had a rational discussion about it." At this, Lori laughed, bitterly.

"This new world doesn't really do _rational _though, does it?" I laughed heartedly in agreement, her statement certainly summed a lot of things up nicely. "Are you going to find time to attempt to have a 'rational discussion' about it?" I scoffed.

"Again, there are more important things to talk about. It's easier just _not _to talk about it anyway. Save the heartbreak in the end." I countered, bitterly. Meeting Lori's gaze, I was surprised by the sad undertone behind them as she studied me thoughtfully.

"Sometimes the _easy_ option isn't always the right one."

…

It felt odd taking watch with Andrea. Over recent months, the blonde and myself hadn't spent much time alone together as we had stopped taking watch together now. Instead I took watch usually with Daryl while Andrea did it with Sasha - the pair having formed an somewhat easy flowing friendship over time. It disheartened me that I had drifted apart from the woman and after recounting our time together over our time in the prison, I recalled more memories of feeling bitter towards the woman than I would have liked. Though taking watch with her wasn't nearly as awkward as I would have expected, as we fit back into our easy roles of camaraderie like nothing had changed.

"It's a nice day today." Andrea noted quietly. "It's getting colder though, I think. If I'm marking the days right then we're in winter now." I nodded briefly.

"I hope it snows." I muttered and Andrea smiled at me. "I'm sick of the heat."

"I wonder what the snow would do the walkers." She mused, thoughtfully. "Surely it would slow them down? Make them easier to kill?" I shrugged - I was no walker expert. _Though who was? _"Guess we'll just have to wait until it does snow." After a pause, the blonde muttered as an afterthought; "If we survive that long." The silence between us grew with tension and I sighed, tiredly.

"I know you want to leave." I stated bluntly. "And Rick's made it clear that whoever wants to leave, can. You're not imprisoned here." I glanced sideways at the woman beside me. "Despite our location." Andrea breathed a chuckled.

"Merle says they've got eyes on us though. That means they'll probably kill us if we tried to leave." Andrea pointed out.

"And Merle has also said that when the fighting starts, then that will provide a big enough distraction for those who want to leave." I countered, softly, eyeing her carefully.

"I-" Andrea paused to frown out across the yard. "I know that I talk of leaving all the time, but I meant it as a _group. _Not me personally." At this, she turned to meet my gaze. "I don't want to abandon the group, not if people want to stay." At her confession, I raised an eyebrow.

"Even if you want to leave? If you don't want to fight? You'll still stay?" I asked. Andrea nodded.

"I'll stand by Rick and his orders till the end." She admitted with a sheepish smile. "But that doesn't mean I'm not afraid." At this, I allowed myself to chuckle bitterly.

"We're all afraid though." I pointed out. "But we're strong. Like Merle's stated - we won't go down against the Governor without a fight." Andrea grinned, it was one, I noticed, that wasn't quite full. "Though when Michonne and I were in Woodbury-" I grimaced at the memories, but suppressed them quickly. "I spoke to one of the residents-"

"You did what?" Andrea hissed, her wide eyes displaying her shock.

"His name is Milton - he was the 'weedy' guy that came to deliver the Governor's request of a meeting. You remember him?" At this, Andrea nodded slowly. "I spoke to him on the day of the meeting and I thought that I could try and reach out to him." A brief moment of silence.

"Why?" Andrea asked, slowly.

"Because not all of those in Woodbury are evil." I told her with a shrug. "Milton was telling me how scared the people were, after our attack. Like Merle's said, they're not soldiers and they're not trained. There's a lot of elderly and children to be taken into account too - a lot of innocent people." I paused to sigh. "I spoke to Milton, tried to make him see through the Governor's propaganda. I told him that we'd offer sanctuary if he and others wanted it. I think I had made an impression on him. Well, at least I had done. Until Michonne-" I trailed off, not allowing myself to finish the sentence. While the group didn't no details of what Michonne had done, they had gathered more than enough to halt any questions.

"Until she did what she did." Andrea offered, quietly. I nodded in confirmation and we both lapsed into silence again. "Have you told Rick that you offered those people help?" At this, I allowed myself to smile bitterly, glancing at the woman beside me.

"I've not really gotten round to that yet." I admitted with a grin. Andrea chuckled, shaking her head. "There's good people in Woodbury though, Andrea. They don't deserve to die."

"Neither do we." Andrea countered with a sigh. "I suppose the only blood that needs to be shed is the Governor's."

"Yeah, I think Michonne had that _nearly_ covered." I muttered, begrudgingly.

Maggie and Sasha came to relieve us and when we got back to the cell block, Andrea retreated to her cell to rest, biding me goodbye. After spending the few hours one watch with the woman, I couldn't help but feel better. Andrea may be an ass sometimes, but she was still my friend at the end of the day.

I made my way back to my own cell, planning to rest for the night, though was startled at the figure that lay sprawled out on the bottom bunk of the bed.

"Don't you have your own cell to lounge in?" I muttered, folding my arms across my chest and raising an eyebrow at the man on my bed.

"Been waitin' up for ya, princess." Merle smirked, sitting up and leaning back on his hands. I raised an eyebrow. "I certainly gave ya little girl a shock before when she came in 'ere." I narrowed my eyes into a glare as he mentioned Sophia. Merle quickly raised his hands as a sign of peace. "I was on my best behaviour, don't worry! I told her _nicely _that I was waitin' for ya to finish ya watch. Even asked her how she was, didn't cuss either."

"You better not had done." I muttered, keeping my narrowed gaze on the man. "Where is she anyway?"

"She ran away pretty much after tellin' me she was 'fine'." Merle informed me with a grin. "She's a quiet little thing. I reckon it was this thing that scared her off." Merle held up his bayonet arm to me and I rolled my eyes.

"You're such an ass." I sighed, making a note to apologise to Sophia later for Merle's lack of knowledge when it came to handling children - or _people _in general as a matter of fact. "Now, what do you want?"

"It's 'bout Micky." Merle announced, hauling himself up. I eyed the man, cautiously, raising an eyebrow for him to elaborate. "After hasslin' the woman for some details, she finally told me 'bout what she did. " He shrugged. "No dick, no eye; it's the least the bastard deserves."

"Thank you for informing me of your opinion on the matter, Merle." I muttered, grimacing, before shaking my head. "And before you ask, yes I am going to go talk to Michonne about it all." Merle smirked.

"Good; I hate to see my girls fightin'." He sniggered, winking. "She's with _lover boy _at the moment, in his cell, if ya wanna know." I snorted before shaking my head, curious as to the way Merle's tone changed at 'lover boy'.

"I think I'll leave it a little while then. Don't really want to walk into any awkward situation." I muttered. Merle laughed before shrugging.

"Reckon they probably 'ave a little more sense than goin' at it in the cell block. Especially when my baby brother, Chinaman 'nd Officer friendly are plannin' down below, nearby. They were just talkin' last time I checked." Merle informed me, a hint of something I couldn't quite place behind his tone. I opened my mouth to question Merle on it, though he cut me off quickly. "Ya gonna go or what?" His tone seemed to leave no room for discussion and I found myself being shoved - none to gently - out the cell by the man. He smirked and led the way to the stairs.

"You're such an ass." I muttered. Merle sent me a smirk over his shoulder as we descended the stairs.

Once we reached the bottom, Merle ambled away without another word towards the three men gathered around one of the tables - in obvious planning mode. Rick greeted the man with a half-hearted glare when Merle patted the leader heavily on the back, while Daryl offered his brother a welcoming nod. Glenn remained impassive towards the older Dixon, but Merle seemed uncaring about this.

With a sigh, I made my way towards Tyreese's cell. I met Daryl's gaze briefly as I passed and offered the man a sympathetic smile as his brother threw an arm around his shoulders, throwing out a few obnoxious - _very Merle -_ comments as he did. Daryl replied with a half-hearted glare at my amusement before shoving his brother away. I chuckled under my breath before I found myself beside my destination.

Michonne sat crossed legged on the bottom bunk, mid-way through laughing at something Tyreese had said to her, while the man in question sat opposite her on the floor, his back against the wall.

It was a surprising sight to see, one so content and happy, and I felt overwhelmed for a moment by the happiness of Michonne and Tyreese's situation. While previously, I just assumed they were merely a _physical _thing, the sight before me spoke the contrary and I couldn't help but smiling at this. Though the scene was something so simple, I had rarely - if _ever - _seen my friend laugh and smile as she was doing currently and yet Tyreese had managed it. _Someone had managed to break through the woman__'__s hard exterior. _That certainly meant something.

The pair glanced up at me as I stood at the door of the cell and I couldn't help but continue smiling at the pair of them, despite their obvious awkwardness that I had interrupted their 'moment'.

"How are you, Ruby?" Tyreese asked, pleasantly, gaining his composure again and smiling up at me. I noted to myself that out of all the men that could have broken through to Michonne, I was glad it was Tyreese. From what I had known of him was that he was a good man, with a good heart. Something that Michonne certainly needed.

"I'm fine, thank you." I replied, beaming at the man. Tyreese smiled before glancing at Michonne then back to me.

"Is Rick out there planning?" He asked.

"Yes, with Glenn, Merle and Daryl." I informed the man. Tyreese nodded before getting to his feet.

"I think I'll go join them. Give you ladies some privacy." Tyreese offered and I smiled gratefully at the man. He paused, his gaze turning to Michonne. Instinctively, I turned to gaze out the cell, providing the pair whatever privacy I could give. I heard Tyreese murmur something I couldn't quite hear to Michonne before the man made to move past me. "Thank you." Tyreese breathed as he past, holding my gaze meaningfully. I wasn't sure why the man was thanking me, but I assumed he knew that I had come to talk things out with Michonne and was apparently grateful for this. I nodded once in return and took Tyreese's place on the floor as the man made his way towards the men in discussion.

At first we remained in silence. I could feel Michonne's eyes watching me, though I kept my gaze lowered. Outside, the soft murmur of chatter from the men could be heard as they continued their planning. I felt content to be out of the discussion for the time being, after being dragged into many of the meetings. It wasn't as if I had grown tired of the planning, it was just all the constant planning had grew me wary and even more fearful. Being away from it all meant I could clear my head.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted." I breathed, finally. I had decided that trying to make small talk with Michonne would be a waste of time. We hadn't ever done small talk, so there was really no point starting now. Hesitantly, I raised my gaze to meet Michonne. She was watching me carefully, a thoughtful frown on her features. "I understand why you did, I really do."

"You're just repulsed by me." Michonne finished, evenly. At this, I shook my head.

"Repulsed at what you did, not by _you._" I corrected her. "I know it was _the Governor, _but seeing a human being like that-" I grimaced at the memories and Michonne breathed a bitter chuckle.

"What I did still doesn't compensate for what he's done to others." Michonne muttered with a sigh. "I've told you, I did what I did for you and I. Though that discounts all he's done to Merle, to Laurent, Jessica, Rick and the group. So many others have suffered by his hands and yes what I did was horrific, but it's no more than he deserves."

"You don't have to explain that to me, Michonne. I've told you; _I understand._" I replied and Michonne nodded slowly, before suddenly a very vulnerable expression fell on her features.

"I'm not sorry for what I did." She began. "Though I'm sorry for manipulating you into helping me, I'm sorry that you had to see what I did and I'm sorry for lying to Rick and going against his order." She glanced down at now clean katana that lay beside her on the bed.

"You shouldn't be apologising to me for that last part." I pointed out. Michonne nodded, smiling slightly.

"I'll say my bit to the sheriff soon, don't worry." She informed me with a slight smirk. It faded after a moment though and she frowned, thoughtfully. "He's a good man." I raised an eyebrow when she met my gaze. "_Rick_. I can't help but respect him as a leader. The world need more like him, though I can't help but think that there are far few men like him now." There was a pause of silence between us and I couldn't help but feel shocked at her words.

"Something tells me that was hard for you to say." I noted, raising an eyebrow. Michonne grinned.

"Don't go telling Rick I said that." She muttered and I smirked in response. We lapsed back into silence again and I could sense that Michonne felt more at ease now compared to how she was when I first entered the cell. I still noted a slight stiffness in her demeanor and I couldn't help but feel that the woman was in conflict with saying something, though was struggling to actually _say it. _"I didn't intend for it to go down like it did."

"Come again?" I frowned, confused at her comment. Michonne sent me a ghost of a smile, one that I noticed was filled with sadness, before she sighed.

"With the Governor." She elaborated. "I didn't intend to do what I did." I raised an eyebrow.

"I thought the plan was to make him suffer." I muttered, my tone cautious. _She certainly achieved that goal! _

"It was, but I didn't intend to get so-" She paused, her face thoughtful as she racked to find the right word. "_Brutal._" I remained silent, wondering where she was going, but sensing that it was best to not interrupt her. "But when I saw him, when I spoke to him again, I just couldn't control myself." Her eyes were unfocused and weren't looking at me anymore. I knew she was reliving those memories and I swallowed hard, remaining silent. "All I felt was _rage. _So much _rage. _He fought back at first but, when I got the upper hand, I just _lost it. _Once I had started, I just couldn't stop." She paused, her fists clenching hard. "I just kept remembering what he did to me _- to us - _and all my bottled emotions just came pouring out. I don't remember a lot of what happened, I just remember the anger. I don't even remember leaving, I just remember watching you run past me towards his apartment and thinking that I couldn't let you see what I'd done." Her eyes focused back on me again and she studied my reaction before a moment before continuing. "Merle's right; I _should_ have killed him. I had the chance to and I thought about it. But I was so lost in my emotions that I lost my opening - I missed out on the chance to end all this. I only realised that when you and Milton were there and I could hardly do it then." Her face fell again and her brow burrowed. "When I saw what I'd done, I felt so _disgusted _at first. Disgusted at what I was capable of. But then I remembered _who _he was and _what_ he'd done and I knew he didn't deserve any pity. But then Milton looked at me and I knew what he was thinking;_ I was a monster. _I could handle that from him, from Rick and the others too. But when _you _looked at me the same way too-" She trailed off, shaking her head.

"You're _not_ a monster." I breathed, feeling utterly ashamed at myself and my actions. How had I let myself react like that? "And _I_ certainly do not think you're one either, you have to believe that." I urged her to believe me and allowed Michonne to study my face silently - _reading me for lies _- for a moment. After a long, tense, pause Michonne nodded slowly and her face fell in relief.

"Like I said; I can take the others looking at me like that." She continued, quietly. "But not _you._ And please don't apologise again. I think we've both said enough apologises to one another." I smiled sheepishly as she caught my intended actions and she returned it with an easy smirk.

"If it helps, I don't think any of the others think you're a monster either." I offered, with a shrug when she raised an eyebrow. "Most don't even know what you did - Rick can hardly tell them when he doesn't _actually _know himself. Most just think you're crazy."

"They think I'm crazy?" Michonne asked, slight amusement on her features. I nodded with a smirk of my own.

"Merle did say you had a screw loose." I admitted, which caused Michonne to snort.

"And why does he think that?" She asked, seemingly genuinely confused.

"Because we're heard you talk to yourself." I spoke, without realising _what _I had said and _who _to until it was too late. My smile faded drastically from my face and, to my horror, so did Michonne's. She frowned and her entire body tensed. I mentally cursed myself quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"I thought we were done with apologising to each other?" Michonne muttered, cutting me off. Her expression didn't soften and I swallowed hard, regretting my words. The silence between us continued with an unbearable tension. "You've heard me talk to myself?" She finally asked, her voice a mere breath. I swallowed again before nodding slowly, after realising that the truth was probably the best method now.

"Yes." I admitted, reluctantly. "Merle and I have heard you a few times. The first time was back when it was just the three of us and Toby." Michonne burrowed her brow thoughtfully at my answer and I waited anxiously to hear what she'd have to say.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" She asked finally, her voice dangerously quiet. I shook my head quickly.

"We don't mean it." I tried. Despite knowing that Merle was the only one between the pair of us who ever did call Michonne 'crazy', I felt unobliged dropping him right in it with the woman. "We don't think you're crazy."

The silence continued some more and I felt lost for any more words that might defend Merle and I. Michonne remained staring at me thoughtfully, her expression unmoving. Despite feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, I continued to hold it, hoping to relay my apologetic feelings to the woman for what I had said. My stomach felt sick with anxiety as I waited for whatever response I would get.

"I don't talk to myself." She muttered, finally. I stopped myself from raising an eyebrow at her words; _Merle and I had _heard _her. _Though Michonne continued suddenly. "I'm talking to my boyfriend." At this, I did raise my eyebrows.

"I don't understand." I frowned, confused. _Was she talking about Tyreese? _That certainly made no sense - she talked to herself long before she had met Tyreese. Michonne smirked slightly before bowing her head.

"I mean my _ex-_boyfriend." She continued. "He's dead." Her confession left me stunned for words again and I couldn't quite get my head around what she was telling me.

"What, so you're a psychic now?" I asked, hesitantly hoping Michonne wouldn't take my attempt of a joke to heart. I was thankful when she smiled back at me.

"No, I'm just _crazy_." She replied, evenly, with a shrug. "I think it's my body's way of coping with all this death and such."

"I don't know what to say." I admitted.

"I don't expect you to." Michonne chuckled.

"So, do you erm-" I paused, hesitantly. "Do you _see _things or just hear things?" Michonne grinned at my question and I couldn't help but feel a little concerned at her joyous attitude to this topic which had certainly left me lost for words.

"I'm not _that _crazy, Ruby." She laughed. "No, I just hear things. Just my boyfriend." I nodded.

"Oh." I supplied. "What does he - erm - what does he say to you?" Michonne paused at this question before shrugging.

"Stuff." She replied. I nodded again.

"_Stuff._" I repeated, hoping that my tone didn't give away my daze of shock. Judging by Michonne's hearty laugh I had failed at hiding it.

"Can I ask you a favour, Ruby?" Michonne began again and I raised a hesitant eyebrow. "Please don't tell anyone that. If Merle says anything again, then I don't mind you setting _him_ straight, but no one else." She paused and smirked easily. "Not even _lover boy._" I glared half-heartedly at her new name for Daryl before nodding slowly.

"My lips are sealed."

…

It seemed a morning like any other at first.

The sun had rose, just as it always did, and we that inhabited the dreary, run-down prison rose with it. Breakfast was prepared and chatter was shared amongst the group. Watch shifts were switched around as those who had spent the night out came back in to rest and another pair went out to take their place, after filling their stomachs of food. Plans were discussed again once food had been eaten, some tension filled the air with it too. However it had been weeks since we had returned from _that _incident in Woodbury and we were still without an attack. Some of the initial fear had subsided and some had even believed that due to Michonne's little stunt, the Governor had been scared away.

_We all knew that wouldn__'__t be the case though. _We tried to remain hopeful, but didn't lower our defences. _Just incase. _

Lori's health had improved greatly and the woman could walk about the cell block now without aid. Her wound was still recovering, though her strength had gained rapidly. Baby Judith remained never far out of the mother's reach and both Carl and Sophia lingered nearby, the pair finding much enjoyment playing with infant. Lori's recovery was a good sign for the group - it meant that in the option of running, moving Lori safely wouldn't be a burden.

The prison had been prepped into attack mode again, all our defences up as strong as we could manage. With two guard towers down, we were certainly at more of a disadvantage, but we didn't allow that to dishearten us. We still had another two in full working order. We had the Hyundai, the Chevrolet, the Dixon's motorcycle and the RV all with full tanks of gas and the former three were all ready in the prison's garage. The latter was stocked up with most of the food and the remaining gas that we could siphon out of the prison buses and was parked beside one of the guard towers. Glenn and Andrea had both taken initiative to check the RV's engine, to make sure that it wouldn't cause a problem starting up if the time came - a problem they both feared due to the RV's poor record apparently.

To both Andrea and my surprise, snow began to fall and we weren't sure if this would work in our favour or not. Observing the walkers outside the fences, we noted that their movements were slowed due to the change in weather and the blonde couldn't help but express her delight at this thought - it would mean killing walkers would prove to be a lot easier. _Small mercies. _

This knowledge however, proved to be no comfort when the radio, that connected those inside the cell block to Andrea and Sasha outside on watch, crackled and hissed loudly one morning as everyone was gathered together down in the lower part of the block. Andrea's panicked voice followed.

"_Vehicles are approaching the prison!__" _She spoke in a rush, her voice quivering. _"__It__'__s him, Rick, it__'__s The Governor!__"_

All eyes stared down at the radio in horror and the silence that lingered was filled with the growing fear amongst us. Despite all our preparations, despite all our planning, now that it had finally come, the feeling of being unprepared felt so real now.

"I want you to remain in the tower, Andrea." Rick finally replied into the radio. "Sasha; I need you on the ground - you're better on the attack. Both of you hold on, we're on our way." He turned to his wife, who stood clutching Judith close to her. Lori nodded once, her face struck with horror. "Everyone arm up. _Quickly._"

The rush of the group was manic, though in no time we had all gathered up our arms and I paused before following the others out, turning to those who remained behind. Rick lingered too, saying his goodbyes to his family. Sophia flung her arms around me, hiding her sobs into my shirt. I held her close, urging myself not to cry too. _I had to be strong for her. _

"I'll be alright." I breathed, not truly believing my own words. "I'll come back for you, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." I held Sophia's tear-stained face between my hands before kissing her softly on the head. "Just remember that I love you, alright?" The little girl nodded.

"I love you too, Ruby." She told me through her tears.

"Be good and stay with Lori." I urged her. She nodded and I quickly pulled her in for one last hug. One that I hoped wasn't truly going to be our _last. _

"Are you sure you don't want Herschel to stay with you?" Rick asked his wife, urgently. Lori smiled sadly and shook her head.

"You need all the man power you can get. I'll be fine without him." She informed her husband before allowing him to pull her into a tight embrace. "Just come back safely, _please_."

Rick and I observed those that stayed behind one last time before Rick closed the door to the cell block firmly, locking it tightly and passing the keys to Lori through the bars.

"You hide in the armoury if one of them get in here, you hear me?" Rick urged, firmly. "Don't let _anyone_ in that isn't friendly." Lori smiled weakly and nodded.

"Just _go, _Rick." They shared one last, lingering glance before Rick nodded and turned away from his family. I smiled sadly at Sophia, taking in her heart-broken gaze.

_I can__'__t think of anyone better than to look after my baby girl than you, Ruby. _

With Carol's words echoing in my head, I turned away from Lori and the children - who remained safe in the cell block - and followed after Rick. Out into the battlefield.

To face the Governor. _One last time._

* * *

_(Author's Note): A quick update for you all AND a longer chapter! I think this one has to be one of my longest actually. It's packed full of a lot too - I hope you guys don't mind that! Thank you to all who have reviewed, you're all amazingly awesome! :) _

_I'll start off with Michonne and what she did to the Governor. For those who've read the comics, may recognise some of the mutilation that she did. Yes it's pretty grim and hopefully my description was alright? Regarding everyone's reactions to it too, I'm guessing people won't like how the group takes what she did. Yes, the Governor deserved it, but as many people have expressed in their reviews, it was quite a reckless thing to do. Ruby's reaction is mostly disgust for what she saw of the Governor's body - surely it would be hard to look at your friend again after seeing that they're capable of that? Please don't hate on Ruby if you don't agree with how she took it! :) What did you guys think about what Michonne did anyway? Too much? Not enough? _

_And I'll apologise for ending it how I did. I can imagine people are quite miffed that I've cut it off before the final attack, but I'd like for that to be it's own chapter. While I have a plan of how I'm going to tackle it and what's to come, of course, I'd love to know what you guys' predictions are? What do you think will happen in this Team Prison Vs Woodbury showdown? Any deaths - if so, who? I'm curious to know! :) _

_On a side note too, I have another question for you all; are there any relationships (other than Ruby/Daryl) that you guys are shipping/wanting in this story? I'm just curious to know. _

_Thanks again for all the response from the previous chapter! I'd appreciate your views on this latest update! Hopefully I'll have an update up soon. _


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